The Boy Hunter
by Akiko Natsuko
Summary: Repost from my other account. AU. Sam disappeared 4 years ago following a row with his dad and Dean has been searching for him ever since following the trail of a infamous hunter known as the Boy hunter, this is the tale of his hunt and their reunion.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or its characters.

A/N: Repost from my other account – please note this is unedited from the original version.

SPN-SPN

Dean sighed heavily as he sipped his beer, his eyes flicking around the bar and hesitating for a brief second on the curvy, brunette behind the bar before they returned to the table in front of him. Not even the most attractive women held any interest for him anymore, if fact they hadn't for the past four years. He was twenty two now, and living the life of a monk- solitary and without women, he smirked slightly at the thought remembering how his exploits when he was younger had caused Pastor Jim to say that he'd try the patience of a saint. However, he sobered almost immediately as his thoughts turned to more serious issues…namely his little brother Sammy.

It had been four years since his sibling had vanished from their apartment in Idaho, taking his things and disappearing into thin air after a row with their dad…four years since he had seen his pain in the ass little brother…four years since he'd walked out on his father…four years of desperate searching…four years of loneliness and grief. He took an extra long sip as he recalled the night that his life had fallen apart.

He'd come home from the end of school prom, sailing high after a successful night with his current object of affection- heads cheerleader Megan Riley. He'd burst into the small apartment expecting to find his dad cleaning weapons and Sammy doing his homework; instead he'd found his father in the living room his eyes bloodshot and rimmed with red and a bottle of Jack Daniels clasped in his hand as he gazed at a photo of the three of them.

"Dad?" He asked cautiously, feeling his happiness deflating at once to be replaced by fear and uncertainty- it was a rare event for his father to behave in this manner nowadays, particularly whilst in the middle of a hunt. John glanced up in surprise and guilt flickered across his face, whilst fresh tears welled up in his eyes.

"Dean…" He whispered hoarsely…and his face crumpled even more as he took a shaky swig of whiskey.

Dean glanced around the apartment, searching for some clue as to what could possibly happened in the time he'd been out. His eyes darkened as they landed on the waste paper bin which was crammed with paper and books…Sammy's school stuff.

"Dad where's Sammy?" He demanded urgently as he took in the unusual silence in the apartment, his dad looked away and he switched immediately into big brother mode. "Dad!" He snapped harshly and his father flinched violently.

"He's gone," John whispered and Dean blinked as his entire world tilted and span around him.

"Gone?" He repeated carefully.

"He packed his things and left," John elaborated as he took a couple more sips, his eyes returning to the photo in front of him.

"AND YOU LET HIM? WHAT HAPPENED?" Dean yelled furiously, feeling nothing but anger and disgust towards the man that had always been his idol, his leader.

"We had another row…I said some…I said some awful things to him and he went all pale and quiet and went to his room…I went to apologize and he was gone…and all his stuff as well…there isn't even a note," John muttered, stumbling over his words as the liquor slurred his speech.

"What did you say to him?" Dean's anger had subsided to a hot flame that smouldered in his chest, and his voice was tightly controlled although it retained a dangerous edge.

"He wanted to stay here until the end of the year for school, asked if we could take a break from hunting. I just lost my temper with him, and he wouldn't listen- said that he wanted a chance at normal to try and actually do well at one school for once. I told him that he should be more like you…that school didn't matter in our world and that he was being selfish," John hesitated here and looked up at his oldest who was staring at him with horrified eyes and he had to look away before continuing. " I said that if he wanted us to have normal then he shouldn't have been born and then the demon would never have taken your mom."

Dean couldn't believe what the man in front of him was saying, and yet he knew that it was true…that his dad had told his brother that he basically killed their mom. His anger reached a new level then and reached out and grabbed the whiskey bottle from his father's hand and hurled it into the far wall where it smashed.

"You're pathetic, your son is missing because of you and you're sat here drowning in alcohol and self pity instead of trying to solve the mess that you've caused. You're no father…Sam was right about you all along and I didn't believe him," he snarled furiously before turning on his heel and storming off to the room he had shared with Sammy.

The room had echoed with remnants of the pain Sam must have felt, and tears had filled his eyes as he had studied the mess left by his brother's rush to escape. Gritting his teeth he grabbed his own duffel bag and began to pack his own belongings, noting as he did that several items were missing…a AC/DC cd, a couple of his favourite t-shirts and some photos and he knew that Sam had taken them as mementos…which meant that there was a chance that if he could find his brother then they could patch things up.

"I'm coming Sammy, just try and stay out of trouble until then," he muttered as he slung his duffel over his shoulder before glancing across at his brother's empty bed and sighing.

Back in the living room he found his father sitting where he had left him, gazing listlessly at the photo. Ignoring the man he headed for the front door.

"Where are you going?" His father demanded as he reached for the door handle, and he turned to glare at the man who had finally staggered to his feet.

"I'm leaving, I'm going to find Sammy and then we're going to work out what to do," he said icily and his father moved towards him.

"You can't go…what about the hunt, we've got to finish the hunt. Sam chose to leave us, to leave you without a word. He betrayed our family. You're my soldier, you can't leave me," John growled drunkenly as he reached out for Dean, his eyes blazing with anger. In his drunken state he never saw the fist that flew towards him, catching him squarely on the cheek and sending him crashing to the ground.

"You're the one that destroyed this family and I am leaving and I'm not coming back. I've always chosen you over Sammy in all the rows you have, but now I'm choosing Sammy as I should have a long time ago," with that he'd turned and walked away from his father and the life he'd had with him.

SPN

He clenched his hands as he shook himself back into the present, feeling the ever present anger with his father well up inside of him. He had spoken to the man since that night even though his dad had called him frequently and left numerous voice mails, however, all he had done was add fuel to the flames. Every message had even told him to do certain hunts or that he was wasting his life looking for a boy that had probably died years ago. But Dean knew better… his Sammy was still alive and living as a hunter who was widely known within the hunting world. Just a year after Sam had disappeared, Bobby had called him with stories of a young hunter who was gaining a reputation among hunters….the boy hunter or kid as he was known had quickly become well known, and yet he was elusive as a wisp of wind, fading into nothing between hunts so that even the most extensive searches had failed. But at least Dean still had hope…his brother had survived the world alone… and there was still the chance he could find him.

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by his cell phone erupting with the sound of Deep Purple's- smoke on the water. He grabbed the phone and stared at the caller id, feeling a wave of disappointment and anger as John flashed on the screen, scowling he hit the divert button knowing that the man would leave a voicemail. Sure enough a couple of minutes later the phone vibrated, draining the rest of his beer he dialled his voice mail.

"Dean I know you're there, and this is ridiculous. It's been four years now and you still haven't found your brother, do you honestly think you'll find him now? Anyway I just had a call from Joshua to say he'd taken care of that wendigo hunt in Missouri, I thought you were taking that hunt- I mean I gave you all the details a month ago. You can't just get other hunters to cover your ass when you feel like it. Call me Dean, we need to sort this out…I mean it son."

With a muted growl he hit the delete button and motioned to the bar maid for another beer, he couldn't believe the gall of the man. Sure he'd had the details about the hunt but Pastor Jim had called just before with a lead on the infamous 'boy hunter' and for Dean there had been no choice. Besides Joshua had been in the area of the hunt, and like many of John's hunting acquaintances he had been aiding Dean with his four year search against his father's wished.

Just as he took a sip of his new beer his cellphone rang again and he growled again until he checked the caller id, at once he flipped it open.

"Bobby," he said eagerly, unable to disguise the hope in his voice.

"I'm fine, that lead of Jim's petered out though he'd already moved on by the time I got here. Took care of a nest of vampires as far as I can gather."

"What is it?"

"Yeah hang on," he quickly got to his feet and slapped down some money before hurrying out of the bar. Outside he dashed to his beloved car and quickly threw open the boot and pulled out his laptop.

"Just booting up," he said as he switched on the laptop. "I'm on." He reported as he went into his email and opened up the new mail from bobby and clicking on the attachment. A large map of the US popped up on screen covered with red and green dots.

"Yeah I'm looking at it, what am I looking for exactly?" His eyes widened as he gazed at the map, his eyes tracing the pattern of red dots.

"Holy shit," he gasped, a huge grin spreading across his face for the first time in years.

"Booby thank you so much for this. You haven't told my dad have you?"

"Good, I don't want him near me or Sam."

"I'll call you if I find him, thanks again Bobby. Bye."

He ended the call and punched the air with delight, feeling something akin to happiness for the first time since his brother had disappeared. His gaze returned once more to the red dots- the sites of hunts that were definitely attributed to the 'boy hunter'- which occurred in such a manner that his own name was written in giant letters across the United States. How his brother had managed to arrange it so that his hunts would form that pattern he had no idea, but he knew now that his brother missed him as well…and best of all he now knew where to find him…there was one red dot left to fill at the end of the giant 'N:. Sammy was heading to Florida. To Jacksonville to be precise.

Within minutes the impala was roaring out of the parking lot. Racing to find the missing Winchester.

SPN


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or its characters.

A/N: Repost from my other account – please note this is unedited from the original version.

SPN-SPN

Sam Winchester was in a whole world of pain. It had seemed like a simple enough hunt, but the spirit that he was hunting had managed to get the drop on him…several times to be exact and his body was telling him about.

"Stupid ghost," he muttered irritably as he poked at the large gash that now graced the side of his head, stretching from his temple to his chin. The spirit had shoved through the rotting banisters of the first floor stairs and he'd landed on a old, rotten cabinet full of certificates that the now abandoned asylum had received in the past. Broken glass had sliced through his already tattered clothes and he could feel blood creating trails across his skin, and his ribs felt like they were on fire as he staggered to his feet and grasped his gun once more.

Limping heavily he began to climb the stairs once more, forcing the pain away he held the shotgun steady in front of him ready for the spirits reappearance. He reached the first floor without further trouble and hastily moved his battered body into the corridor and away from the banister. Grumbling about pain in the ass ghosts and unnecessary flying lessons he moved cautiously along the corridor until he reached the room numbered 23. Glancing around he stepped into the room and glanced around, pleased to see that everything was as he'd left it.

Painfully he reached into his jacket and pulled out a bottle of lighter fluid, which he proceeded to pour over the disintegrated skeleton that he had carefully arranged on the ancient mattress. He'd found the girl's body the day before when he'd be doing recon, surprised by the quick find he'd arranged her as best he could and returned as soon as he could to salt and burn it. Throwing aside the empty bottle- and silently cursing that he hadn't bought more- he then proceeded to fully salt the remains.

With a solemn huff he flicked open his lighter and threw it on the remains, his eyes growing distant as the flames spread quickly along the skeleton and a brief memory of doing this with Dean caused his attention to waiver. He was caught by surprise as the flames flickered in a sudden gust of cold wind, and suddenly he was airborne once more; his startled eyes briefly meeting the spirit's malicious gaze as disappeared in a flash of fire and then his impromptu flight was cut shut as he collided with the wall. A faint yelp of pain escaped his lips as he slid to the ground, and unconsciousness swallowed him swiftly…

SPN-SPN

Dean groaned as he stretched his stiff body. He'd been on the road for nearly twenty-four hours, numerous cups of coffee keeping him alert as he tore towards his brother. And now his target was in sight. The impala roared past the sign for Jacksonville and quickly pulled his beloved car across onto the side of the room as the city came into sight.

"C'mon Sammy," he muttered as he pulled out his cell phone and went into the GPS. For the last four years every time he'd searched for his brother's phone of GPS it had been a fruitless effort, but not this time. Another grin spread across his face as a yellow dot denoting his brother's phone popped up on the map, trembling with excitement and pent up emotions he zoned in on the location. The Palmers Inn motel. I'm coming Sammy he thought as he threw his phone into the passenger seat and directed the impala back on to the road.

SPN-SPN

Sam groaned as he came to, his body quickly letting him know about the abuse that it had suffered. However, he was quickly distracted by the fact that the air around him was hot and heavy with smoke and that his breathing was becoming increasingly difficult. Forcing his eyes open, he realised that he was still in room 23 and it was on fire. Instincts taking over he rolled himself onto his feet, nearly passing out again as the movement pulled on his ribs but he forced himself to remain awake. Unsteadily he crawled towards the door safety, sending up a silent prayer of thanks for whoever had kept the flames away from him.

Once out of the room he managed to get to his feet, swaying like a drunk he headed for the exit hit thoughts already moving away from the hunt and his near death. Instead thoughts of his brother filled his mind…a brother that he hoped had found his message and was coming to him…and that was all he had, hope… He knew he'd hurt Dean by leaving and staying gone, and he didn't know whether his father's words were true but he hoped that Dean would come for him and that he could try and make amends- but that was not going to happen if his brother found an empty motel room.

SPN

As Dean pulled into the car park of the Palmers Inn motel he couldn't help but wrinkle his nose, the place was a dive- much worse than any place he'd ever stayed in before and he couldn't help but wonder why his brother had chosen it…but then he realised that Sam was probably trying to lie low and save money, after all hunting was exactly a pro-ball career; but still he didn't like to think of his brother alone in a place like this.

Expertly parking his car he slid out of the door and looked around hesitantly. He couldn't ask for help at reception because he had no idea how different his brother would look…a thought that bothered him on all sorts of levels and filled his mind with the image of lanky, 14 year old with a wild mop of chestnut curls and mossy eyes that seemed to look right though you. That was his Sammy….but he had no idea if the Sammy he was about to find would still be the same person. Shaking away such negative thoughts he flicked open his phone and dialled his brother's number as he began to walk around the rows of rooms, keeping his eye open for a ringing phone.

He was just beginning to lose hope when he suddenly heard the straits of Smoke on the water drifting through the window of the room furthest from the front of the motel. Excitement rose in his chest that had to be Sam's room. Snapping his phone shut he ran to the room and pounded furiously on the door.

"Sammy! Sam! It's Dean, open the door! Sammy!" He yelled frantically, desperate to get to his little brother but there was no answer from within and fear stole across his heart. Hastily he reached into his pocket and pulled out his lock pick…he was getting in one way or another…within seconds the door was open and he burst in with a sense of urgency only to be met by an echoingly empty room.

For a brief second the world seemed to tilt around him…no, no, no he screamed silently thinking that it would be cruel if his brother had vanished once more, but then he noticed that the room wasn't abandoned. A duffel bag lay discarded by the bathroom door, and books and papers were scattered everywhere…and then his attention was pulled towards the fact that there was two beds in the room, not one. Cautiously he moved towards the second bed, which had clearly not been slept in, and a fresh grin spread across his face as he saw the t-shirts that had vanished along with Sammy laid out on the bed.

"You really kept them," he whispered with a small sniff as he reached out and touched one of them. His eyes moved across to the bedside table where two carefully framed photos stood- one of him and Sammy on the first day that Dean had driven Sam to school in the impala and the other of their mother in her wedding gown. It didn't escape his notice that there was no picture of their father, and he couldn't blame his brother. "Where are you Sammy?" He asked as a he glanced back at his old t-shirts, and noticing the piece of paper sticking out from under one of them…he practically pounced on it and his hands trembled as he unfolded it.

_Dean, if you're reading this please wait for me. I'm taking care of a spirit and I'll be back soon. Please don't leave. Sam_

So his brother was still around. Dean sighed with relief and then frowned….he didn't like the idea of his little brother hunting alone, even though he had been for the last four years. But he would wait here for his brother, so that Sam didn't come back to an empty motel room- something that he would never let happen again after today. Praying that Sam was okay he sank onto the bed and absently stroked one of the old t-shirts, idly wondering if his brother had ever worn it as his eyes bore holes into the motel room door.

SPN-SPN

Sam officially felt like road kill. Somehow he'd managed to drive his ancient, banged up truck back to the motel despite the fogginess creeping across his vision and the darkness pulling at his mind. As he swung into the car park he caught sight of the impala parked in the corner and his eyes widened…Dean had come. Battling a sudden wave of fear and uncertainty he parked next to his brother's car and slowly clambered out, his eyes drinking in the sight of the classic car. Stiffly he glanced towards his room and saw that the lights had been switched on, trembling from a mixture of pain, exhaustion and nerves he began the arduous walk to the room.

Panting and losing his grip on consciousness he fumbled to get his key into the lock. As he cursed he heard sudden movement and suddenly the door swung open with a loud creak, and he found himself staring into his brother's teary hazel-green eyes.

"Sammy." A loud buzzing filled Sam's ears as he stared wide-eyed at his brother unable to say anything as his emotions pulled him into a swirling vortex and suddenly he lost his battle to stay upright and he pitched forwards towards his brother…

SPN-SPN


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or its characters.

A/N: Repost from my other account – please note this is unedited from the original version.

SPN-SPN

Dean blinked as he heard noises just beyond the door and he shot to his feet hopefully. However, his hope quickly turned to concern as he heard someone fumbling to get a key in the lock and muttered curses. Wondering if his brother was drunk he darted towards the door and swung it open, inwardly wincing at the loud creak it emitted…and there, framed by the light from the room stood a lanky, shaggy haired boy who gazed at him in dazed confusion and Dean felt himself tearing up as he stared at his brother for the first time in four years.

"Sammy," the low murmur escaped from his lips as a smile spread across his face.

He was caught off guard when his brother suddenly pitched forwards without a sound, but buried instincts sprang to life and he leapt forward and caught Sam before he could hit the ground. For a brief second he relished the feeling of holding his brother back in his arms before he quickly slipped into big brother mode. His eyes narrowed as he saw the tattered and bloody shirt clinging to Sam's back; it looked nasty but he doubted that was the worst problem. Mindful of cuts he carefully turned Sam over so that he was gazing into his brother's face; he bit his lip as he took in the bloody gash.

"Oh Sammy," he whispered softly as he gently ran a hand through the messy, brown locks that framed his brother's too pale face. Despite the blood and the four years of separation his brother still looked as innocent as he had the last time Dean had seen him, and for that Dean sent up a quiet prayer of thanks. "Sammy," he said louder this time as he reached down and rubbed firmly into his brother's sternum, wincing sympathetically as Sam groaned and tried to shift away from the pain. "Uh-uh Sammy, rise and shine little brother," Dean said firmly as he repeated the action once more.

This time he was rewarded by the slow opening of his brother's mossy green eyes which peeked up at him from half-open lids.

"Hey there little brother," Dean's voice was softer this time and his eyes were lit up with a smile as he watched his brother's eyes slowly rove over his face as though drinking in the details.

"Dean," Sam whispered finally, his eyes widening as he realised that his brother was really here. "You came…you're really here?"

" Yeah I'm here Sammy," Dean replied- he wanted to ask his brother so many things…like why hadn't he come to find Dean- but one look at his brother's pale face made him hold in the tide of questions. "How about we get you onto the bed?" He suggested instead.

"'Kay Dean," Sam said wearily as he realised with a small flush of embarrassment that he must have fainted. Biting back a pained gasp he let his brother carefully help to his feet, but as he straightened his upper body his ribs quickly made their poor condition known and he was unable to hold back a low groan as his vision dimmed for a brief moment.

"Easy Sammy," Dean said gently as he supported most of the younger man's weight as they slowly made their way to the bed. Carefully he seated his brother on the bed, steadying him until he was able to hold himself upright. "Do you have a medical kit?" He asked and his brother waved vaguely towards the bathroom his eyes fixed firmly on Dean's face; noticing this Dean gave him a big grin and gently squeezed his shoulder to reassure him. "Stay here, I'm just going to get the kit so we can patch you up."

Checking that Sam had remained vertical he hurried into the bathroom and pulled the medical kit down from its place on top of the cabinet. Feeling its lightness he frowned and flicked it open, growling as he took in the pitiful amount of supplies in it- there was no way this would be enough to patch his brother up. Abandoning the kit in the basin he left the bathroom. Sam was just where he'd left him although he was swaying precariously as though caught in a raging gale. Swallowing his annoyance over the medical kit and his concern for his brother Dean quickly stepped into his brother's line of sight.

"I'm just going to go and get my kit out of the Impala alright?" He asked patiently as he waited for his brother's eyes to focus on him.

"Don't leave," Sam blurted out in alarm as his mind latched onto 'going to go' and 'Impala' and misinterpreted them in his confusion. Dean screwed up his forehead in confusion before he realised what his brother had done.

"No, no Sammy I'm not leaving," he said as he crouched in front of his obviously confused sibling. "I just need to get some things. I'll be right back I promise, just stay here."

Worried by his brother's surprisingly clingy behaviour he darted out of the room and across to the Impala, unwilling to be away from his brother for too long. He spared a quick glance at the battered truck parked sloppily next to his car, but then he was in the boot pulling out his duffel and the large medical kit that he hadn't used for what seemed an age. Quickly slamming the boot shut he legged it back to the motel, slamming the door shut behind him and closing out the rest of the world.

Dumping his bag on the spare bed he returned to his brother, who blinked owlishly at him as he laid the medical kit beside him. Mustering his best mega-watt smile he carefully pulled off Sam's outer shirt and tossed it carelessly aside, not liking how his brother had barely moved except to help him. Meeting Sam's silent gaze he slowly reached out and began to unbutton his brother's shirt, as he was assailed by a memory from their childhood.

SPN

_ Dean watched with growing amusement as his little brother doggedly tried to unbutton his shirt with little success. Sam's cheeks were growing steadily pinker as his annoyance and embarrassment rose. Taking pity on his sibling and hoping to avoid one of the five-year olds infamous tantrums Dean stepped forwards to help._

"_Here Sammy," he said with a smile as he reached out and helped guide his brother's fingers to do what he wanted._

"_Thanks Dean," Sammy said a couple of minutes later when the last button had been undone. Dean just smirked and tousled his brother's wayward hair, enjoying the peaceful moment in their screwed up world._

_SPN_

"Dean?" Sam's cautious whisper broke into his revere and he glanced up to find his brother gazing at him uncertainly.

"Sorry Sammy," he said as he undid the last button, and carefully began to remove the shirt. He paused as he caught sight of his brother's emaciated frame, his eyes narrowing as he took in the prominent bones; however, he quickly diverted his attention to the severe bruising spreading across his brother's chest and he thought back to his brother's groan a he'd got to his feet. "Cracked or bruised?"

"Dunno," Sam whispered and then frowned. "They hurt like a bitch though." Dean chuckled at that.

"I bet, I'll take a proper look when I've got this shirt off," he said as he resumed the careful removal, wincing sympathetically as he pulled the bloody material away from the numerous cuts covering Sam's back. As soon as the shirt was off he screwed it up into a ball and hurled it into a corner; it would never be wearable again anyway and he couldn't bear to see it soaked with his brother's blood.

Just as he moved back to take a look at his brother's ribs he noticed something that he had previously missed, and he felt his heart skip a beat. His brother's left hand was clenched tightly in a fist which was probably what had made him miss it; but there was something wrong with it. Glancing at Sam for a second he reached out and gently uncurled his brother's hand, feeling a wave of nausea as he gazed at it…it was a normal hand accept for the fact that the little finger and the ring finger were gone- leaving nothing but heavily scarred stumps.

"Sammy what happened to your hand?" He demanded.

"I hurt it in a hunt," Sam's voice was neutral but Dean knew that there was something more to it than that and he opened his mouth to argue. " Please Dean…I don't want to talk about it yet," his brother's quiet plea stopped him in his tracks and after a brief hesitation he nodded in agreement…but he knew that he would get the truth out of his brother sooner or later.

Taking a deep breath he turned his attention to his brother's ribs; clenching his jaw he ignored Sam's low gasp as he carefully felt them.

"Just bruised I think, you got lucky little brother," he said after a few minutes and Sam smiled wanly- lucky was not how he would describe it he thought as he yawned widely. "Let me see to your back and head and then you can get some rest okay?"

"Kay," Sam gazed trustingly back at his brother as he fought against the exhaustion threatening to fell him where he sat.

SPN-SPN

Forty minutes….15 stitches…and numerous plasters later…Dean finally finished tending to his brother's injuries and was carefully helping his barely awake brother to lie down. Luckily none of the cuts on his back had needed any stitches….it was just the nasty gash on his face that had required stitches which had been done as quickly and neatly as Dean could manage.

"Night Sammy," he said softly as he pulled the covers up over his brother and smiling as his brother snuggled down into them. He had just begun to turn away when Sam suddenly reached out and grabbed his sleeve, his sleepy eyes gazing imploringly at Dean. Reading the silent message in his brother's eyes he sat down on the edge of the bed. Sam's grip on his sleeve did not falter though.

"I'm glad you came," Dean barely heard his brother's whisper it was so faint. "I didn't know if you would…he said that you wouldn't…that even if you found me you wouldn't come and get me," Sam rambled and Dean frowned in confusion.

"Who told you that Sammy?"

"Dad." Dean's mind reeled with the implications of that quiet admission, and none of the conclusions he reached were very pleasant.

"He knew where you were?" He demanded as he clamped down on his rising temper, his eyes flicking to his brother's injured arm as Sam drew it closer to himself as he nodded in response to the question. "Sammy, did he do that?" Dean pointed to the missing fingers and sudden tears appeared in his siblings eyes.

"Y-yes," Sam looked away as he replied, fearing that the blazing anger in Dean's eyes was aimed at him.

Dean wanted to shoot something. Anything would do…especially his father…he couldn't believe that the man had been lying to him for years, that he had hurt his little brother and yet the pain in Sam's eyes told him all that he needed to know.

"Sammy," he said gently as he ran a hand through his brother's curls once more. "Why did Dad hurt you?" Sam cautiously glanced up at him and visibly relaxed as he realised that Dean wasn't mad at him.

"He wanted answers," Sam's voice was small. "He wanted to know about the demon that killed mom, he and some other hunters have been tracking me for the last couple of years and they caught me 18 months ago. That's when he damaged my hand."

"Why would you know anything? And why would he hunt you?" Dean hated pressing his brother for answers when he clearly needed to rest but it was important that he knew what he was dealing with.

"Do you know what he said the night I left? About mom I mean?" Dean nodded warily. "He was right…the d-d-demon did come for me and mom got in its way." Dean was reeling from his brother's heartbroken confession, but if anything his anger towards their father increased.

"Shhh Sammy," he whispered as he saw the tears that were trickling down his touchingly innocent face. "No more questions for tonight, you need to get some sleep."

"Are you going to leave me?" God, Sam sounded so young and lost…Dean's gut clenched but he smiled reassuringly at his younger sibling.

"Nah, I figure you're stuck with me now Sammy-boy. Now get some sleep," he ordered softly as he continued to run his hand through Sam's hair. He watched as his brother quickly surrendered to exhaustion, his face relaxing as he turned into Dean's hand as though seeking comfort.

SPN

Once he was certain that his brother was deeply asleep he slipped off the bed and reached for his phone. Quickly dialling Booby's number he went to sit on his own bed so that he could keep an eye on his sleeping brother.

"Bobby? It's Dean."

"Yeah, I've got him. He's a bit banged up and needs a few good meals but he's okay."

"Bobby, we have a major problem…"

SPN


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or its characters.

A/N: Repost from my other account – please note this is unedited from the original version.

SPN-SPN

Half an hour later:

When Dean hung up from his call with Bobby he felt some of the tension that he'd felt since Sam's pained admission ease. After cursing John in English and Latin Bobby had promised to get hold of Pastor Jim and Joshua and some other contacts to track down the eldest Winchester. Apparently he'd already told Caleb where Sam was and Caleb was driving up to them from Miami where'd just been taking care of hunt, and Dean was relieved to know that he was going to have some support.

Setting his phone on the bedside table he returned his attention to his slumbering brother, finally allowing himself a few minutes to just enjoy being with his brother again. He knew that there were still questions to be asked, and the problem of their father to deal with…but, in that moment Dean's life was brighter than it had been for years.

"Night Sammy," he whispered as he carefully shifted the old shirts off the bed and slipped his hunting knife under the pillow. Yawning widely he stripped out of his jacket and shoes before lying down. Rolling over he moved so that he was facing his brother before reaching out and turning off the light.

SPN

It seemed to Dean that he'd only just closed his eyes before he was startled into wakefulness; jerking instantly awake he plunged his hand under the pillow for his knife even as he reached out and flicked the light on. His sleep-clouded mind had instantly conjured images of his father…but instead the sight of his younger sibling moving restlessly in bed confronted him.

"Sammy?" He asked warily, sitting up and releasing his hold on the knife. Sam's only response was to toss more violently; small whimpers escaping from his lips as his battered body protested.

"DEAN!" Dean nearly leapt into the air as his brother suddenly startled awake, crying out for his brother with such fear in his voice that Dean felt his heart clench. Within in a instant he was by his brother's side, his eyes scanning Sam's pale face for answers as he placed a soothing hand on his brother's arm.  
>"I'm here Sammy," he said gently and Sam blinked owlishly at him as tears trickled slowly down his face as he gazed up at his big brother. Suddenly his eyes became more aware and he sat up, a slight grimace crossing his face as his ribs protested and suddenly Dean found himself in a tight hug. Somewhat hesitantly he put his own arms around his brother, growing more sure as he felt Sam shaking as quiet sobs welled up from whatever nightmare he had just experienced.<p>

Dean tightened his grip as he felt his brother breaking down in his arms; and as he took in his brother's scent he wondered how his brother had coped with his nightmares and what he had seen whilst he'd been alone…had he always called out for Dean?…or was it just because he knew Dean was here…He hated the thought that his brother had been crying out for him every night for the last four years, and he gently rocked his sibling as he made gentle shushing noise. (Any thought of no chick flick moments had flown out the window the moment he'd opened the motel room door to find his battered brother).

"S-sorry," Sam stammered between sobs a short while later, and Dean knew that he meant for more than breaking down or waking Dean.

"You've got nothing to be sorry for Sammy," Dean countered and Sam pulled away slightly so that he could look up at Dean, and his eyes were sad as he examined Dean's face for any sign of disgust or anger. Finding none he relaxed back into his brother's grasp. "What were you dreaming about?" Dean asked cautiously, not wanting to upset his brother anymore but knowing that they had to start dealing with any problems straight away.

"Dad," Sam whispered wearily, tensing as he felt Dean's arms tighten around him for a brief moment.

"You know I'm not going to let him near you again don't you?"

"I don't want you to fight him," Sam blurted out as he pulled away again, his eyes wide as he gazed at Dean who was gazing at him in bemusement.

"Sam," Dean said patiently. "He drove you away and he's hunting you, and you don't want me to fight him?" Surely his brother realised that his first job was too protect Sammy from anything, even if that thing was their father.

"I left you, he didn't," Sam whispered as he looked down at his hands. Sighing Dean reached out and gently tilted his brother's head up so that he could look at him properly.

"We're together now and that's all that matters. Besides, I haven't seen the man since that night that you had that row."

"What?"

"I walked out on him," Dean explained and he saw his brother's eyes grow impossibly wider. "We haven't even spoken since then. He leaves voicemail messages nearly every week either telling me about hunts or telling me to stop searching for you."

"So you didn't know that he found me?"

"No, I've been searching for you since that night and he never once mentioned it," Dean said truthfully and Sam sniffled slightly, but he looked slightly more confident as he looked at his brother.

"He told me that you would never come for me…that you h-hated me," he admitted timidly, looking guilty for doubting that his brother would come.

"I could never hate you Sammy. I don't know what's going on in his head, but there's definitely something loose," Dean stated firmly as his mind conjured various scenes involving himself and his father- none of which ended pleasantly for his father.

Sam yawned widely as he considered his brother's words, and Dean frowned as he registered the exhaustion in his brother's face.

"How about getting some more sleep? There's plenty of time to talk in the morning," he suggested and Sam glanced nervously at the other bed and then back at Dean, and Dean could see the fear and silent plea in his brother's gaze. "Shift over," he said softly and his brother's lips twitched as he obeyed. As soon as Sam was settled, Dean curled up next to him and pulled the covers up making sure that they were both covered.

"Thanks Dean," Sam whispered quietly, and Dean smiled as he felt him snuggle closer to him as his breath evened out as he sank swiftly back into sleep. As he listened to Sam's soft breathing Dean silently swore that he was going to stop their father one way or another before he ever got near his brother again.

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A soft knocking summoned Dean from his sleep the next morning, and he blinked blearily as he carefully eased himself out from under his brother's outstretched arm and got to his feet. A second knock made him tense and quickly retrieved his hunting knife before going to the door; holding the knife just out of sight he swung open the door and was greeted by the welcome sight of a grinning Caleb armed with a bag of food and a tray of coffees.

"Sorry to disturb your beauty sleep deuce," Caleb teased as Dean stepped aside to admit him into the room.

"Well I was hoping to wake up to a dark-haired beauty, but clearly I drew the short straw," Dean responded sarcastically as he closed the door and turned to watch the older hunter who had paused to stare at Sam who was sprawled unaware on the bed, his mouth slightly open.

"Well look at who grew up," Caleb said softly and Dean nodded, his eyes narrowing as he examined his brother and realised just how tall he'd got. Okay…he thought grumpily that was definitely not fair…the younger brother should so not be taller than the eldest.

"He's certainly turned into a sasquatch," he responded as he moved to return his knife to his hiding place.

"Nice Dean," Caleb chuckled as he saw the knife, before wandering across to the sorry excuse for a kitchen and dumped the food and coffees on the side. Idly he checked the fridge and cupboards, his nose wrinkling as he found them depressingly empty.

"No food?" Dean asked quietly coming up behind and Caleb shook his head, wondering at the concerned look that spread across the younger man's face.

"You don't seem surprised?" Caleb asked as he handed Dean a coffee, which he accepted with a grateful nod.

"I had to patch him up last night and you could practically run your fingers between his ribs he's so skinny."

Caleb glanced back at the slumbering Winchester a sombre look on his face before he turned his gaze back to Dean.

"Bobby told me what John did to him, how's he holding up?"

"I don't know. He had a nightmare last night and we talked a little more, but I haven't got anything useful out of him. He's scared of our dad though, and he thinks that I should be hating him for leaving," Dean's voice was dangerous as he mentioned John and Caleb was struck by the contrast with the faithful soldier that had once followed his father without hesitation.

"We'll get him deuce," he said reassuringly. "And until then we'd better feed that brother of yours up. I got enough food for today, but I figured we'd be hitting the road sooner rather than later." Seeing Dean's questioning look he added. "Bobby guessed that there might be some issues and he suggested that you and Sam head to Jim's to hole up for a while."

"It'd probably do Sam some good," Dean admitted- not liking to admit that he liked the idea of having somewhere safe to stay whilst he rebuilt his relationship Sam; Caleb grinned guessing what the younger man was thinking,

"Probably, why don't you wake him up and we can get some food into him?" He suggested, and Dean nodded as he set his coffee down.

As he moved across to wake his brother, he hesitated and glanced back at Caleb.

"Thanks for this Caleb."

"It's my pleasure," Caleb waved away the thanks as he began to empty the bag of food onto the side, and Dean grinned before turning back to his brother.

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	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or its characters.

A/N: Repost from my other account – please note this is unedited from the original version.

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"Wake up Sammy," Dean said as he reached out and gently shook his brother's arm, trying not to jostle his bruised ribs. Sam's only response was to screw up his nose and snuggle deeper into the covers, and Dean had to bite back a chuckle. "Come on sleepyhead," he teased lightly as he shook his brother's arm again and this time he was rewarded with slit-eyed glare from his younger sibling, which he responded to with a cheerful grin.

"Just another few minutes," Sam muttered sleepily as he ignored his brother's grin and buried his head back under the covers.

"Nuh uh Sammy," Dean said sternly, even though his eyes were glinting with amusement as he revelled in the fact that Sam was just as difficult to wake up as he had always been- another sign that things had not changed irrevocably. Glancing back at Caleb for second he reached out and yanked the covers off his brother, who let out a yelp of alarm as the warmth left him.

"Jerk," he growled as he reluctantly sat up- glaring up at his smirking brother who was brandishing the covers triumphantly in the air.

"Bitch," Dean replied, choosing to ignore the soft gasp that escaped Caleb as he took in Sam's emaciated and heavily bruised torso.

However, Sam had reacted to the soft noise as though it was a gun going off. Despite his sore body he shot backwards into the headboard, his eyes growing wide with sudden fear as he reached under his own pillow and unconsciously echoing his brother- drawing forth a curved hunting knife.

"Whoa Sammy," Dean dropped the covers as he stared in alarm at his brother, noting how his sibling was trembling violently and he knew it was out of fear not coldness. He didn't miss the irony that Sam had adopted his own habit of keeping a weapon close to hand, but he cursed himself for not warning Sam about Caleb- of course Sam was going to be jumpy if hunters had been after for the last couple of years. He knew that Caleb was watching cautiously but he ignored the other hunter for the moment, knowing that he needed to reassure Sam before he did something he'd regret out of fear.

Slowly, as though approaching a spooked animal he moved to the bed and carefully sat on the edge- noticing that his brother drew even further in on himself by pulling his jean-clad legs closer to his chest and frowning as a faint wince passed across Sam's face as his body clearly protested the movement.

"Sammy?" Dean asked softly and for a brief second his brother's enormous eyes flickered across his face before returning to Caleb. "Sam look at me," he added firmly and slowly his brother's eyes met his and stayed there, and the level of fear he saw there shocked Dean. "Easy Sammy, it's safe. You remember Caleb don't you?" He asked and watched as his brother looked back at Caleb for a second before looking at Dean again, after an indefinable period he nodded slightly but the fear in his gaze did not abate.

"Hunter," Sam whispered uncertainly as he stared at Dean, as though relying on Dean to provide all the answers for the questions that were flashing through his mind and reflecting in his fear-filled gaze.

"That's right," Dean said and Sam's grip tightened noticeably on the knife-which Dean now realised with sudden irony was one that Caleb had given his brother for his twelfth birthday. "He's the one that gave you the knife. Last time you saw him was on that werewolf hunt near Palo Alto."

"Did I do something wrong?" Sam blurted out, ignoring Dean's attempt to remind of the past and reassure him that Caleb posed no danger.

"Huh?" Dean screwed up his nose in confusion as he tried to decipher his brother's sudden question. "What do you mean?"

"You called another hunter…did I do something wrong?" Sam's voice was so quiet that Dean had to strain to hear it, and he felt the concern he'd felt last night returning ten-fold but with it came understanding of what his clearly traumatised brother was processing in his geeky brain- he thought that Dean had called in another hunter to do something similar to what their father had done.

"You didn't do anything wrong Sammy, remember we talked about this last night. Caleb's here to help us that's all and he wanted to see for himself that you were okay. Isn't that right Caleb?" He asked, deciding that if they were going to get anywhere he was going to have to get his brother to interact with Caleb so that the other hunter could show that he was no threat.

"That's right kiddo," Caleb responded as he moved slowly towards the bed as he caught onto what Dean was attempting, his eyes soft as he looked at the youngest Winchester who trembled even more as he sensed him approaching.

"Not hunting me?" Sam asked slowly as he turned to gaze once more at Caleb who had halted at the end of the bed so as not to crowd the obviously frightened and confused man. As he stared at Sam he could understand the fury he had heard in Bobby's voice when he'd called to let Caleb know what John Winchester had done to his youngest.

"Nah, you're not my type Sam," Caleb said with a weak stab at humour as he banished his anger towards John from his mind in case Sam detected it and misinterpreted it in his current state; he hadn't expected a positive response but to both his and Dean's surprise Sam let out a watery chuckle. As they watched Sam cautiously lowered the knife, his shoulders relaxing slightly as he realised that the other hunter wasn't a threat.

"Sorry," he whispered as a faint blush spread across his cheeks, standing out with shocking starkness against the unnatural paleness of his skin.

"Don't worry about it kiddo," Caleb said. "I wouldn't trust a shady looking figure like myself either."

"Still sorry," Sam muttered.

"Shush Sammy, "Dean said hating to see his brother so timid. "How about you pull on a shirt before you catch your death of cold and we get some breakfast? Caleb raided the food store and I don't know about you but my stomach's growling."

"You're always hungry," Sam complained with a small smile as he slowly slid his knife back under the pillow, even though he glanced at Caleb warily as he did so. The other hunter merely nodded before heading back to the kitchen to sort out the food and to give Sam some space while he adapted to the idea of another hunter being around.

Relieved that the current issue had been resolved without to much trouble, and without any bloodshed Dean got to his feet and waited for his brother to move.

"What did you do with my shirts?" Sam asked as he glanced around the room, and Dean frowned.

"I threw them in the corner," he said indicating the pile of clothing. "But you can't wear them Sam, they're shot to pieces not to mention they're covered in blood- the only place their fit for is the bin. Do you want me to get one out your bag?" He asked hoping to spare his brother from bowing down unnecessarily, but Sam shook his head and glanced cautiously at his brother.

"I don't have another shirt."

"What? You forgotten what a laundrette's for Sammy-boy?" Dean demanded disbelievingly, his little brother had always been the most conscientious about keeping his clothes as clean as possible- a fact that had always amused him when they were younger and something that he had always appreciated because Sam had always taken it upon himself to care for his brother's clothes as well.

"No, I just don't have another shirt," the faint blush had returned to Sam's pale face as he whispered his confession and Dean realised that he was serious. Biting his lip he walked across to his own duffel and rooted around until he found a shirt that he thought would fit his lanky brother.

"Here put this on for now, we'll sort you out some sasquatch sized clothing later on," he said throwing the shirt to Sam- making a mental note to check what else Sam didn't have, as it seemed that his brother had not been caring for himself properly for quite a while- something that bothered him more than all the nightmares and fearful reactions in the world as it meant that his brother had stopped feeling that he was worth caring for.

SPN

A few minutes later they were all sat at the small table eying up the small feast that Caleb had picked up…well at least the two older hunters were. Sam…looking rather odd in his brother's shirt, which hung awkwardly of his skinny frame, was picking silently at a muffin that his brother had handed him.

"Eat up Sammy," Dean urged as he reached for a muffin of his own- he tactfully decided not to mention anything about how Sam had made sure that Dean was sat between him and Caleb- but he was damned if Sam was going to starve himself anymore.

"I'm not really hungry," Sam muttered as he gazed apologetically at Caleb- still feeling embarrassed by his earlier display and his lack of clothing.

"Sammy you need to eat, you're practically skin and bone as it is," Dean said sternly and Sam suddenly pushed away his partially eaten muffin and shot to his feet.

"It's Sam," he hissed suddenly before turning and practically fleeing into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him with an echoing thud. Dean started to get up- fully intending to drag his brother back and force him to eat if need be- but Caleb reached out and placed a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"Let him be deuce, " he said softly, tightening his hold slightly as they heard the distinctive sound of retching coming from the bathroom. Eventually Dean sighed and relaxed in his seat, he wiped a shaky hand across his brow before retrieving his own food.

"What am I going to do Caleb? There's so much going on in his head that I don't know about, and I don't know how to get him to open up anymore," he asked as he munched listlessly on his own breakfast, his eyes flicking from the bathroom door that hid his brother from view to Caleb who was watching him with a look of understanding on his face.

"Take it a day at a time with him, he's been alone for a long time and its going to take him a while to readjust- especially as he's had to hide from your dad for the past couple of years. Make sure he knows your there for him when he's ready and he'll open up eventually," Caleb replied and Dean gazed at his friend with a small smirk.

"Well look who thinks they're so wise," he retorted but they both knew that, that was his way of saying thanks.

"Blame Pastor Jim, he's been trying to calm me down for…" Caleb trailed off as Dean's phone blazed to life on the bedside table.

"Maybe it's Bobby or Jim with some news or wanting an update," Dean commented as he went to retrieve his phone, however, when he checked the caller ID his face hardened and he swallowed hard. Glancing briefly at Caleb who was watching him with concern he flipped his phone open and pressed it to his ear.

"Dad," he said coldly…

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	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or its characters.

A/N: Repost from my other account – please note this is unedited from the original version.

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Previously:

"Maybe it's Bobby or Jim with some news or wanting an update," Dean commented as he went to retrieve his phone, however, when he checked the caller ID his face hardened and he swallowed hard. Glancing briefly at Caleb who was watching him with concern he flipped his phone open and pressed it to his ear.

"Dad," he said coldly…

SPN-SPN

Now:

"_Dean its good to hear your voice."_

"What do you want?" Dean demanded keeping his voice as calm and low as possible so as not to alarm his brother or give anything away to their father.

"_I needed to warn you about your brother."_

"What do you mean?" Dean glanced anxiously at Caleb.

"_He's one of them Dean…a supernatural. The demon marked him when he took you mother. You can't trust him, son."_

"Let's drop the charade shall we," Dean said suddenly as he struggled to contain his fury at the nonsense spewing from his father's mouth. "I've found my brother despite your best attempts to keep us separate, and I know what you've done to him. How could you do that to him? He's your son for god's sake."

"_I only have one son and that's you, our sammy died the same night that your mother did. Tell me where you are Dean, I'll come and get you and then I can show what kind of monster your brother really is. Don't be fooled by those puppy dog eyes of his, he's one of the worst creatures there is and we have to take care of him"_

"Screw you," Dean snarled as he realised that his father truly had lost his senses, feeling whatever forlorn hope he had held die he flipped the phone shut even as father started to speak again him.

"Deuce?" Caleb asked anxiously as he got to his feet.

"We're leaving, he's still after Sam and he'll be able to trace that call," Dean replied shortly as he turned his phone off and hurled it at the wall, and watching with satisfaction as it shattered upon impact. "Sammy!" He hollered.

The bathroom door swung open and Sam came shooting out in alarm as he heard the anger and tension in his brother's voice, and Dean noticed with a twinge of sadness that his brother still looked pale.

"What is it?" Sam asked glancing around the room to see what could have upset his brother so badly.

"We're leaving, get your stuff," Dean responded as he moved to get his own, mainly unpacked belongings.

"Dad?" Sam asked tersely and Dean nodded and watched as Sam blanched- growing even paler for a moment before moving to gather his own- rather more scattered belongings. Dean watched as his brother struggled slightly to gather his things due to his hand and sore body and he stepped across to help.

"Need some help?" He asked.

"Dean," Sam said patiently as he paused to gaze at his sibling. " I can manage, I've been taking care of myself for the last four years dude and I'm still mainly in one piece…I think I can handle getting my stuff together on my own." Dean grinned sheepishly as he stepped back to give Sam some room, it was nice to see his brother asserting his independence but it did little to alleviate his need to help his brother.

"Sorry," he muttered and Sam smiled slightly as he conveyed a stack of books into his duffel.

"Don't worry about it…and I'm sorry I snapped at you before," he replied and Dean nodded in reply- he had already forgotten the incident in the light of the more urgent situation they were now facing.

"God you two are a walking chick flick," Caleb muttered sarcastically as he finished packing up the mainly untouched breakfast.

"Dude," Dean said warningly as he grabbed his duffel and the other hunter smiled in mock contrition. "You ready to go Sammy?"

"I think so," Sam responded glancing around the room before looking back at his brother with a question in his eyes. "Where are we going?"

"Jim's he says we can stay there for a while," Dean responded and Sam nodded although a look of unease passed briefly across his face; but he knew that Dean wanted to get him somewhere safe and for the moment he was prepared to indulge his coddling brother.

"Oh, okay," he replied and Dean looked relieved. "I need to get some stuff out of my truck before we go."

"That one parked next to the Impala?" Dean asked with a raised eyebrow and Sam rolled his eyes in response. "Dude I thought I had given you some taste in cars."

"Whatever," Sam replied- he had always expected that response from his brother but to be honest he was rather fond of the beaten up vehicle that had taken him all over the states in the last few years.

Dean smirked at his brother- thoroughly enjoying the fact that he could still wind his younger sibling up with very little effort. Without another word he led the way out of the room- silently relieved to be heading away from the dingy motel. He headed straight for his baby and opened the boot and slung his stuff in, turning he took Sam's bag from his and placed it alongside his own with a small smile before turning to watch as Sam disappeared inside his own vehicle.

Sam smiled slightly at his truck, feeling slightly reluctant to let it go but also feeling eager to get back in the impala after so many years. Shaking his head at his own foolishness he fished out his box of cassettes and a sheaf of paper and false identity cards.

"Dean," he called softly and had to grin at the speed with which Dean and Caleb were at the door. "Could you take these whilst I get my weapons?" He asked and Caleb took the stuff from him at once and went to put them in the impala.

"What weapons?" Dean asked as he stuck his head through the door and looked at the empty, innocent looking vehicle.

"These ones," Sam replied as he leant into the back seat and pulled the seat tops off to reveal a hidden cavity filled neatly with everything from holy water and bullets to guns and knives. Dean let out a low whistle- he had known his brother must've had some weapons but he hadn't expected a cache like this.

"I only want a couple of bits, I don't think the entire lot would fit in the boot of the impala," Sam said as he carefully rooted through his weapons.

"You sure, what about if the police find these?"

"It's not registered to me, and I doubt it'd matter once we're out of here," Sam replied as he pulled out a worn, brown leather pouch and two old guns- a Glock that was very similar to Dean's own and an old colt revolver. "I'm ready," he said as he eased himself out of the trunk with a muffled groan as his sore body protested and he had to wait a minute for the pain to reduce itself to a constant throb.

Once Sam's stuff was all in the boot they slammed the boot shut and Sam made a beeline for the passenger seat, keen to regain his shotgun position and get off his feet. Dean grinned as his sibling folded his lanky frame into the car before turning to Caleb.

" We'll need to stop when we get across the state border so I can grab him some new clothes because he can't go on wearing mine, but other than that I want to get to Jim's as soon as," he said seriously, his grin disappearing as he turned his attention to protecting his sibling.

"No worries Deuce, I'll follow behind you and keep my eye out for any company and I'll try and get hold of some more contacts that we can trust to keep an eye for your dad." Caleb said as he glanced around the car park before looking back at Dean, startled by the level of concern in the younger man's gaze. "You've got Sam back and that's all that matters, don't forget you're not alone in dealing with your father and we're not going to let him get anywhere near your brother."

"I know," Dean said and then sighed. "It's just I thought when I had Sam back with me then maybe we could repair our family, or at least that he'd be safe…but now I can't even guarantee that for him."

"He's safer with you than he was on his own," Caleb pointed out and Dean nodded, tensing as he thought about his sibling facing this alone. "You'd better going or he's going to be worried."

"Thanks Caleb," Dean said before heading towards the driver's seat and his brother.

Sam looked up as his brother slid into the driver's seat and pulled the door shut with a contented sigh, he frowned for a second wondering what his brother had been discussing with Caleb but he hastily quashed his doubts as Dean turned to look at him.

"You alright?"

"Yeah," and Sam meant it- it felt so right to be back beside his brother and back in the once-loathed shotgun position in the impala.

"Let's get out of here then," Dean grinned as the impala growled into life and he carefully reversed out of the car park pausing briefly to wave at Caleb before turning onto the road and putting his foot down- eager to get as far away as possible.

SPN-SPN

"Dean can I put some music on?" Sam asked a short while later and Dean glanced at him in surprise, his brother had always complained about travelling around to music. Sam caught his glance and shrugged with a sheepish smile on his face. "I used to play music to keep myself company and I sort of got used to it."

"Sure, just no girly- crap," Dean replied eventually and it was Sam's turn to look surprised.

"What happened to 'driver picks the music and shotgun shuts his cakehole'?"

"Believe me it's a one-time offer," Dean replied snarkily and Sam huffed with amusement as he reached into Dean's cassette box and rooted through the tapes. Finally finding one that he wanted he fished it out and quickly stuck it in the player before Dean could read the label.

"Seriously Dude I'll kick your ass out of the impala if you've chosen some girly…" Dean trailed off as Sam pressed play and ACDC filled the interior of the car.

"Satisfied?" Sam asked with a smug grin, enjoying the look of shock on Dean's face as he settled further into the seat and rested his head against the window.

"Maybe I won't have to reinstate the driver picks the music rule," Dean retorted as he glanced into the rear-view mirror to check that Caleb was still following them.

"What did Dad say?" Sam asked as he caught his brother's anxious movement despite the levity of his words; Dean sighed and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. "Dean, whatever he said can't be worse than what he's already done."

"I know," Dean said quietly as he glanced briefly at Sam's arm before glancing up to meet Sam's warm gaze. "He basically demanded to know where we were, and tried to convince me that you're a supernatural creature that needs to be hunted." _Dean refused point blank to hurt his sibling further by repeating what his father had said about only having one son. _He glanced across at his brother and saw a look of disquiet pass across his brother's face.

"Dean," Sam started nervously and Dean turned to look at Sam- carefully dividing his attention between the road and his brother.

"What is it?" He encouraged when his brother faltered.

"There's something I need to tell you," Sam looked away now- clearly afraid to meet Dean's gaze. "I know why Dad's hunting me."

Dean's fingers clenched around the steering wheel and without hesitation he pulled the impala onto the side of the road, noting as he did so that Caleb copied his move but kept his distance. Switching off the engine he turned fully in his seat to look at Sam whose gaze was flicking from him to the window and back again.

"Why is he hunting you?" Dean asked his tone slightly harsher than he had intended and Sam flinched slightly. "Sammy, please I want…I need to know how to protect you," he said in a slightly softer tone and his brother met his anxious gaze and held it.

"I see things before they happen," he blurted out and Dean blinked in shock, his vapour-locked mind trying to process his brother's words.

"You see things before they happen?"

"It started out as dreams…I didn't believe them at first, I just thought that hunting was giving me nightmares…but then I would find news reports of deaths and incidents that were the same as what I'd dreamt…I started to pay more attention to them….and then a couple of months before Dad started hunting me they started happening whilst I was awake…They were worse than the dreams- they hurt a lot more and I couldn't hide them anymore," Sam trailed off, his eyes glinting suspiciously as he gazed out of the window in order to avoid looking at Dean.

Dean didn't know what to think, he had scoffed at his father's accusations that Sam had any connections with the supernatural but now his brother was saying that he did. But, Dean realised with growing anger towards their father- Sam was not evil- all he had was foresight or visions that he had been using to help people.

"Sammy," he said gently but his brother continued to gaze blankly out of the window. Cautiously Dean reached out and laid a hand on his brother's arm and Sam finally turned to look at him, his face pale with fear as he gazed wide-eyed at Dean. "Sammy I don't care. I'm glad you told me but this does not change anything between us, do you hear me? "

"You mean it?" Sam asked warily, hardly daring to believe that his brother would accept him, as he was when their father had chosen to hunt him because of it.

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't," Dean replied with a quick grin which faded almost at once when he saw the uncertainty persisting in his brother's wet eyes. "Sammy you have a gift that you have used to help others, how could I hate or fear you because of that. I just wish that I had been there to help you deal with it." Once again throwing all concerns about chick flick moments out the window he drew his sibling into a slightly awkward embrace, frowning as he felt the tremors running through Sam.

"Thanks Dean," Sam mumbled a few minutes later when he'd brought his volleying emotions under control. Reluctantly Dean released him and sat back in his chair as he pasted his trademark cocky grin on his face.

"Hey I'm your awesome big brother, its all in the job description."

"What dealing with psychic tendencies and dysfunctional fathers?" Sam asked with a slightly watery chuckled and Dean was pleased to see a glint of amusement in his brother's eyes.

"Well I must admit they're a new part of the job description," Dean retorted with a grin, watching as his brother rolled his eyes before yawning widely- reminding Dean that his brother was still recovering from the previous night's hunt. "Why don't you try and get some sleep? I want to cover some more distance before we stop for the night and you look exhausted."

"'Kay Dean," Sam agreed already half asleep- worn out from injuries, stress and emotion and he willingly curled his lanky body against the door- his head resting against the window.

Mentally making a note to talk to Caleb about psychic abilities Dean restarted the engine and winced as back in black came through the speakers, he reached out to turn it off so that it wouldn't disturb his brother but Sam's arm intercepted his movement.

"Leave it on," Sam said sleepily and Dean nodded before turning his attention to getting back on to the road.

Within minutes Sam was fast asleep, his soft breathing barely audible beneath the rumble of the engine and the music but Dean's ear was keyed into the low sound as the impala roared down the motorway with Caleb's SUV in pursuit.

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	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or its characters.

A/N: Repost from my other account – please note this is unedited from the original version.

SPN-SPN

Dean winced as he stretched his sore muscles- he'd been driving all day with only a couple of breaks and his body were protesting against the confines of the car seat. Glancing out of the window he saw Caleb come striding out of the motel reception and head towards them, quickly checking on his sleeping sibling he rolled down the window as the other hunter approached.

"We're in room ten," Caleb said handing the key to Dean who quickly pocketed it. "How's he doing?"

"He's slept nearly all day and I got him to eat a little bit earlier," Dean smiled at that- remembering his relief as Sam had managed to eat a couple of sandwiches at the last gas station they'd stopped at.

"Good," Caleb said with a nod as he glanced across at the sleeping Winchester. "Better wake him up, I'll go and get my stuff."

Dean nodded and quietly opened the car door and slid out, shutting it as quietly as possible behind him. He quickly circled the car and crouched next to the passenger door, which he opened slowly, quickly reaching out to stop his brother from sliding out onto the concrete.

"Sammy," he said softly as he shook his brother, trying not to startle him. There was no response and he repeated the action. "Sammy, come on little brother lets get you into bed."

"Mmm," Sam mumbled as his eyes opened to slits and he peered out at his brother, his eyes widening slightly as he took in the neon motel sign in the background.

"Come on sleepyhead," Dean said- silently wondering if he should be worried about how much Sam was sleeping, but then his brother probably hadn't slept properly in a long time through fear of hunters. Shaking away his gloomy thoughts he helped his brother ease his lanky frame out of the car and kept a hand on Sam's arm as his brother quickly wiped his eyes to get rid of the sleep.

"Where are we?"

"Not quite sure," Dean admitted, he'd lost track of where they were and at the moment he didn't really care so long as it had food, beds and no sign of their father. Reassured that Sam was awake and unlikely to hit the deck he quickly shut the door and went to fish their gear out of the boot.

"Dean…" Sam's soft cry reached him as he was shutting the boot- and the pain in his brother's voice made him drop their duffels and dash round the Impala, drawing his gun as he went.

Sam was leant awkwardly against the car, barely upright his face devoid of colour and screwed up in pain.

"Sammy," Dean was instantly at his side the gun swiftly returning to his belt as he crouched beside his brother, his hands helping to guide his brother to the floor as his legs gave out beneath him. "Sammy talk to me."

"Vision," Sam managed to grind out, his breath coming in sharp pants as he tensed beneath Dean's hands. His eyes flew open and for a brief second his mossy eyes met Dean's and then it was as though all awareness was gone.

"Sammy? Sam?" Dean was disturbed by the blankness in his sibling's eyes and the deep lines of pain marring Sam's face.

"Dean," Caleb dropped to the ground beside them his eyes anxious as he quickly examined Sam for any obvious signs of injury.

"I'll explain later, can you open the room?" Dean asked absently as he handed the key to Caleb.

"I'll be right back," Caleb promised before disappearing. Trying to calm his nerves Dean focused his attention back on Sam just as his brother suddenly relaxed in his grasp, and awareness flooded back into the mossy eyes.

"Easy Sammy," Dean whispered as he felt Sam's breath hitching and coming in scarily fast puffs, plastering a reassuring smile on his face he met his brother's panicked gaze and held it firmly. "Breathe Sammy," he ordered as he guided his brother's hand to his own chest so that he could feel how Dean was breathing- he was aware that Caleb was hovering nearby but his attention was focused solely on his brother who was slowly calming down- comforted by the beat of Dean's heart. "That's it Sammy."

"It's Sam," Sam murmured wearily.

"You're always going to be Sammy to me," Dean said, feeling a vestige or relief now that Sam had calmed down. "Let's get you inside," he suggested and Sam nodded and attempted to pull himself up but Dean was quickly there, pulling him to his feet and throwing his arm around his brother's back to support him as he wobbled slightly.

With a little bit of difficulty owing to Sam's uncoordinated limbs they made it into their room and Dean quickly guided his brother to the bed furthest from the door- keeping to the rule that had governed their childhood- the oldest is the first line of defence. Without a word he gently eased his brother down onto the bed and he had to bite back a snort of amusement as Sam rolled over immediately and buried his head into the pillow.

"Uh uh Sammy," he said and reluctantly Sam turned back to look at him, squinting as the bright light hurt his eyes. Noting this Dean quickly moved to quench the light, nearly bumping into Caleb who had just hauled their duffels in. Glancing briefly at his brother who was illuminated by the lights from the car park Dean reached out and grabbed his duffel from the other hunter and carried it back to the bed, rooting in the bag he located a tub of Tylenol and he quickly shook a couple of the tablets into his hand. "Here take these," he ordered and obediently Sam accepted them and dry-swallowed them with a small grimace before returning his gaze to Dean.

"I saw Dad," he whispered and Dean tensed slightly. "We were in the car, I don't know where we were or what time it was but suddenly he and some other hunters were there. They were trying to force of the road and then we came off and…" Sam trailed off and closed his eyes and Dean could guess what else had happened, and he silently cursed whatever had given his brother this ability for making his brother witness such a thing.

"Don't worry Sam, we'll be extra careful from now on alright? Dad's not going to get chance to hurt either of us," Dean said adamantly, silently thinking that he should start charging a dollar for every time he said that but he dismissed the thought as Sam gazed at him for a moment with trusting eyes before rolling over once more to bury his head. Within seconds his brothers breathing had evened out and he had dropped off to sleep.

Sighing deeply, feeling emotionally, mentally and physically exhausted he tossed his duffel onto the other bed before heading towards the table where Caleb was sat waiting.

"You look like shit, deuce," Caleb commented as Dean collapsed wearily into a chair tilting it so that he could keep an eye on his sleeping sibling.

"Nice Caleb, real nice," he retorted although he had to admit that he felt wrung out and much older than his twenty-two years.

"So are you going to tell me about what happened in the car park?" Caleb asked quietly, his eyes solemn as he met Dean's wary glance.

"Sam's psychic," Dean replied bluntly- slightly amused by how normal he made it sound- his eyes narrowed as he watched Caleb for a response, wary of the other hunter turning against his brother as their father had.

"What's his gift?" Caleb asked calmly, unruffled by the narrow-eyed stare he was receiving from the younger hunter.

"Visions."

"And that's why your dad's hunting him?"

"Yes," Dean snapped as he felt the all too familiar anger with his father well up once more, and he forced himself to smile apologetically at Caleb.

"Your father's a bloody idiot," Caleb said and Dean relaxed, feeling slightly guilty for ever doubting his friend but feeling better now that he knew his brother was safe. "Do you mind if I let Bobby, Jim and Josh know what's going on?" Dean hesitated for a moment, Sam hadn't said no to him speaking to others about his abilities but that didn't mean that he would want him to.

"Yes," he said eventually. "It's better that they hear it from us rather than from our dad or one of the hunters he's with."

"I'll let them know, why don't you get some sleep?" Caleb asked indicating the empty bed, and Dean glanced across at it realising for the first time that they only had two beds between the three of them.

"Nah, you can have the bed later I'll bunk with Sam," he replied choosing to ignore his friend's raised eyebrow as he got heavily to his feet.

SPN

As he got ready for bed and carefully tucked his hunting knife beneath Sam's pillow, Caleb slipped out the door to make the necessary calls. Feeling reassured by the other hunter's reaction to Sam's ability Dean allowed himself to relax marginally as he carefully slid into bed beside his slumbering brother and pulled the cover over them both.

As he lay there with Sam's body warm against him he allowed his mind to mull over the events of the last couple of days. He hadn't expected to find his brother in such dire straits- he had naively hoped that his brother would just be a slightly older version of the geeky boy that had disappeared four years ago- instead he'd found a traumatised, psychic teenager that had faced more than he should had and on his own and he'd also discovered that the man that he had once worshipped had lied to him and was now trying to destroy the last good thing in his life. The universe must be having a great laugh at his expense he thought bitterly, and then snorted, life had never been easy or fair on the Winchesters so there was no way it was going to start now.

Sam shifted beside him, mumbling something under his breath before turning towards his brother and snuggling closer to Dean's side. With a soft sigh Dean peered down at his brother's face, pleased to see the pain and stress from earlier had faded at least for now and that his brother looked relatively peaceful and innocent. In that instance Dean realised that despite all the heartache and danger he could never go back to how he'd been before he'd found his brother; just having his brother back by his side was worth going through hell for.

"Night Sammy," he murmured softly as he allowed himself to doze off, content in the knowledge that his family was safe.

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	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or its characters.

A/N: Repost from my other account – please note this is unedited from the original version.

SPN-SPN

The three hunters rose early the next, keen to get to Jim's as soon as possible- driven by unnamed sense of urgency that had stirred in them since Sam's vision the night before. To Dean's delight they'd managed to get Sam to eat some breakfast before they deserted the motel, and he felt a new feeling of encouragement despite the happenings of the previous night. Still he carefully scoped out the car park before allowing his brother to leave the relative safety of the room, and he followed closely as his brother made his way to the Impala, almost bumping into the younger boy as he stopped to open the car door..

"Dean, you're hovering," Sam pointed out with mild exasperation once he'd realised from his overly-protective sibling was up too, but he smiled as he said it to take the sting out of his words realising that it was something that Dean needed to do in order to cope with his concerns over their father.

"Sorry," Dean said automatically and Sam nodded in acceptance of the apology although neither of them believed that the apology was actually sincere.

The sun was only just rising above the horizon as the two vehicles pulled out of the motel car park and headed off once more, however, none of the hunters noticed the battered pick-up that pulled out of a neighbouring street and began to trail them at a discreet distance.

SPN

As he drove Dean shot covert glances at his brother who was beginning to look pale again, and he frowned as Sam unconsciously reached up and rubbed the bridge of his nose a faint grimace of pain crossing his face as he did so.

"There's some Tylenol in the glove box," he commented after a moment and he watched as his brother quickly retrieved the medicine and swallowed a couple of the pills. "Is this a side effect of the vision?"

"Yeah," Sam muttered as he rested his head against the cool glass of the window, his eyes drifting shut almost at once- however, his breathing didn't even out so Dean knew that he was still awake.

"How bad do they get?" Dean asked suddenly- he would never admit to anyone but seeing his brother endure so much pain and angst because of his abilities had both scared and concerned him and he needed to know just what his brother had being dealing with.

"When I first started having them they could knock me out for a day or so when they were really bad," Sam replied quietly his eyes remaining shut. "But nowadays they just leave me with a headache that can last for a few days."

Dean tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he absorbed the information that his brother had just given him, feeling a surge of guilt that his brother had, had to endure the worst effects on his own.

"Can you tell when they're going to come?"

"Sometimes," Sam finally opened his eyes to gaze at his brother. "Some of them make me feel dizzy for about half-an-hour before they come, and others come without any warning at all."

"Isn't that risky when you're hunting?" Dean asked, his eyes flicking briefly to the signs indicating that they were nearly in Georgia before returning anxiously to his brother.

"It has been a couple of times," Sam admitted reluctantly and Dean nodded to encourage him to elaborate and Sam sighed. "I had one on a Wendigo hunt over in Yosemite, I ended up with several broken ribs and a couple of nasty gashes because of it. And a couple of weeks before my run in with dad I nearly bought it during a werewolf hunt." Dean's hands tensed on the wheel as his mind conjured images of his brother dead or badly injured, and he took a deep breath to calm himself- forcing himself to focus on the fact that his brother had survived despite his abilities.

"You know you've got quite a reputation in the hunting world," he said choosing to move the conversation on to safer ground.

"Really?" Sam sounded doubtful and Dean grinned at his brother's innocent modesty, a trait that he knew that he himself lacked and that he had always admired about his sibling even though it was often amusing..

"Yep," Dean confirmed with a small smirk. "That's how I was tracking you, I just followed any tips about the infamous 'Boy Hunter."

"'Boy Hunter?" Sam asked with a snort of amusement, raising a curious eyebrow as he glanced at Dean for confirmation.

"Yeah, you're a regular legend in hunting circles. I have to admit some of the stuff was pure nonsense but it was that gossip that told me that you were still alive- otherwise I might've listened to Dad's insistence that you weren't," Dean admitted, and any levity disappeared leaving them in silence as Dean quickly checked that Caleb was tailing them still.

Moments later as he was about to strike up a fresh conversation with his brother he was greeted with a soft snore, and when he glanced across he realised that his brother had dropped off to sleep once more.

"Don't think that sleeping is going to make me forget about our conversation," he said sternly to his sleeping brother, but he had to admit that it would probably help Sam shift the headache if slept whilst the painkillers did their job. Sighing he reached out and switched on the radio, keeping the volume low in consideration of his brother as he allowed his thoughts to drift over the little bit of knowledge he had gained about Sam's 'abilities'- wondering what the other hunters had said when Caleb had filled them in, they'd been in such a hurry to get out of there he hadn't had chance to discuss it with the other hunter and he was planning on getting as many miles behind them as possible today so it wouldn't be until tonight that he could catch up with the older hunter.

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Evening was well advanced when Dean began to look for a place for the three of them to hole up for the night. They'd managed to cover quite a distance today, stopping only once for gas and food and Dean was hoping that they could find a motel within easy reach of some shops because he still needed to take Sam shopping for clothes. On that thought he glanced across at said boy, who was slumbering once more after waking briefly a couple of hours before- he had to bite back a laugh as he found his brother curled up into a relatively small ball, his head tilted against the window and his mouth drooping open as he snored softly.

"Sleeping beauty you sure aren't," Dean muttered as he glanced in the rear-view mirror, he knew that Caleb must be getting tired. However, his attention was caught by two pick-up trucks that were coming up fast behind his friend's vehicle- and he felt a trickle of anxiety as he belatedly realised that he had seen the faded blue pick-up earlier during the day as it had been parked outside the diner that they had stopped at for dinner.

Cursing he recalled what Sam had said about his vision the night before, and he was relieved that his brother was asleep. However, their pursuers who had apparently decided that they'd had enough of tailing them swiftly overtook Caleb and any relief that he had felt disappeared as they began to close in on the Impala.

"Dammit," he growled, furious with himself for not being more alert. However, his attention was brought abruptly back to the present as one of the trucks rammed into the rear of his baby and he had to grip the steering wheel tightly to keep the car on track.

"Dean?" The violent jolt had startled Sam intro wakefulness and he immediately came alert, as Dean let loose a string of curses that would've made a pirate blush. It took Sam mere seconds to size up the situation and he paled as he too recalled his vision, his eyes darting from their pursuers to Dean's tense profile. Seconds later the car shuddered violently as the truck bumped into them once more and Sam yelped as he was slung into the door, his head slamming into the window with a loud crack.

"Sammy?" Dean asked in alarm, unable to divert his attention from keeping the Impala on the road.

"I'm fine," Sam grumbled as he felt his head- deliberately choosing not to mention that several of his stitches had been knocked out of place and that a thin trickle of blood was starting to ooze down his face.

"Any ideas?" Dean asked-choosing to accept his brother's answer for now as he pressed his foot down harder on the accelerator and gaining a few feet from the two trucks.

Trying to contain his fear, and the echoing remnants of what his vision had shown him Sam quickly glanced out of the rear window and tried to size up the situation his eyes widening as the two trucks moved apart and shot forward clearly intending to come at them from both sides.

"Hit the brakes Dean!" He yelled suddenly and Dean obeyed at once, wincing as his baby squealed in protest as he pounded on the brakes bringing the car to a sudden halt. The truck drivers were caught by surprise as they overshot the Impala, and Dean caught a brief glance of his father's furious face before the two trucks were out in front of them. However, the drivers had made a fundamental error of starting to close in on one another and Dean and Sam winced as the two vehicles collided with a screech of metal before careening off the road and into a neighbouring field.

For a moment Dean considered getting out the car and finishing it there and then, particularly after seeing the fury and hatred in his father's face, however, a brief glance at Sam changed his mind. His brother was pale and trembling and one side of his face was coated with a sheen of blood.

"Dammit Sam you said that you were all right," Dean growled as he reached into his jacket pocket and hauled a handkerchief which he handed to his brother.

"You were preoccupied," Sam pointed out as he pressed the material to his head in the hope of stopping the bleeding.

"Let's get out of here, I'll see what damage there is when we're well away from here," Dean muttered as he noticed movement in the field, a quick glance in the rearview mirror showed him that Caleb had caught up with them and he hastily flashed his lights at the other hunter to stop him haring off to deal with the other hunters. Silently sending up a prayer of thanks for luck, and his little brother's quick thinking he hit the acceleration and they quickly sped away from the field with Caleb following so closely this time that he was nearly ramming their rear.

SPN-SPN

John Winchester was beyond pissed. He had been so close to getting rid of his prey and getting his first born son and perfect soldier back by his side, but once again the psychic freak had managed to slip through his fingers. Thoroughly infuriated he ignored his companions as they moved patch up their various bumps and grazes and check the vehicles as he gazed after the vehicles that had shot off into the distance. It hadn't missed him that Caleb had been with his children, and he felt another jolt of anger as he realised that his so-called friends were helping to shield Sam and keep Dean away from him.

"Don't worry Mary I'll get him sooner rather than later," he promised with a dark gleam in his eyes as he turned back to see what damage there was too his truck, eagerly anticipating the day when he would get his hand on his youngest once more- this time there would be no mistakes or miracle escapes…

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	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or its characters.

A/N: Repost from my other account – please note this is unedited from the original version.

SPN-SPN

THREE DAYS LATER:

Dean sighed with relief as the Impala finally passed the sign welcoming them to Blue Earth, Minnesota; it had taken slightly longer than he had intended to get here as he'd taken the scenic route in hopes of losing the hunters. He was eager to reach the relative safety of Pastor Jim's house, and he hoped that being somewhere familiar and safe would finally get his brother to rest properly. Ever since their near miss on the motorway his brother had refused adamantly to sleep, and his already limited appetite had returned to being practically zero. No matter what Dean had tried his brother had managed to retreat into himself- and he wanted nothing more than to get hold of their father, knowing that it was a combination of fear and guilt over endangering Dean that had caused his brother's withdrawal.

"We're nearly there Sammy," he said aloud.

"I know," his brother replied in a tired, tense voice and Dean glanced across at his sibling- hating the dark circles under his eyes and the haunted expression that seemed to have taken up permanent residence in his expressive eyes. At least he looked slightly better since Dean had stopped in Kentucky to buy some clothes that would actually fit his lanky frame, however, it taken a huge amount of persuasion on Dean's part to convince his brother into letting him get a suitable selection of clothes- if Sam had had his way Dean would only of replaced the shirt that had been destroyed in his last hunt.

"We'll have a proper bed to sleep in again," he said as cheerfully as he could- they had taken to sleeping in the Impala over the last couple of nights, figuring that motel rooms were easily traceable.

"Sounds good," Sam said, trying to sound enthusiastic for his brother's sake, however, his voice was still slightly flat and Dean sighed silently. As they turned into Jim's house, he silently prayed that the kind-hearted pastor would be able to help him find a way through to his little brother.

As he expertly parked the Impala in front of the rectory the front door burst open, and to his immense surprise two men came hurtling out to greet them. Trusting that Sam would follow him he clambered out of the car with a broad grin on his face.

"Hey Pastor Jim, hey Bobby," he said, as the two men approached him and he felt an immeasurable sense of security at seeing them.

"It's good to see you lad," Pastor Jim said, as he gave the younger hunter a brief hug before glancing at Caleb who had come up behind them. It was then that Dean realised that his brother had made no move to exit the car; gently freeing himself from the Pastor's embrace he hurried around to the passenger side.

"Come on Sammy," he said gently as opened the door, a quick glance showing him that the other hunters were watching the car with concern and in Bobby and Pastor Jims' case slight impatient- they were keen to see the young man that had vanished four years ago.

Sam stared at his brother silently for a moment before glancing out of the window at the three hunters, and he couldn't help the flash of apprehension that ran through him and he turned back to look imploringly at his brother hoping that his brother would realise that he wasn't ready to be around three hunters- he'd only just started to stop starting whenever Caleb came near him. Dean saw the apprehension in his sibling's face and when Sam gazed at him in desperation he realised that his brother really wasn't ready for this.

"Don't worry," he said softly as he gently touched his brother's arm before retreating from the car and moving back towards the hunter.

"Is Sam alright?" Bobby demanded as he craned his head to try and catch sight of the illusive Winchester, but at Dean's sigh he quickly turned his attention back to the younger man.

"Could you wait for us inside? He's a bit overwhelmed about being around so many hunters after what has happened with dad an' all," Dean said quietly, his voice remaining calm although his hazel eyes showed his concern for his brother and the anger he felt towards John.

"I'll go put the kettle on," Pastor Jim replied at once, but there was a sad look in his weathered blue eyes as he gazed at the Impala. However, he quickly looked away and with a brief nod to Dean he dragged Bobby and Caleb inside with him to give the two Winchesters some privacy.

SPN

Stretching his tense muscles Dean swiftly moved back towards the passenger side- he had a little brother to talk to, and he was determined that Sam was going to talk and that they were going sort out whatever nonsense was running through his freaky brain.

"Alright Sammy boy this has gone far enough," he stated sternly as he crouched down once more beside his brother, almost at once Sam's eyes became shuttered and he gazed down at his hands. "Uh uh Sammy, that's not going to work this time we've got to talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about, I'm fine," Sam said harshly and Dean's eyes blazed with anger as he reached out and tugged his brother's face around so that he was meeting his gaze.

"You are not bloody fine Sam!" He practically shouted as he finally let out the worry and fear that had been building up within him over the past couple of days. "You haven't slept in days and you're carrying around huge bags. You haven't eaten properly in goodness knows how long, and you look like you're about to collapse. For God's sake Sam have you been trying to kill yourself? I mean you're so bloody skinny that you can't have eaten properly for a long time, and that night I found you there was literally nothing in your first aid- kit, - what would you have done if you'd been on your own and you'd been really badly injured?" Dean was breathing heavily by the time he had finished, but ironically he felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from him now that had finally confronted his brother. However, his relief was short-lived as he realised that his brother was gazing at him with silent tears trickling down his face.

"I don't want to die," he whispered faintly, his eyes full of sincerity as he gazed at his older brother- his hero.

"Then why didn't you take care of yourself?" Dean asked in a softer tone and he frowned as his brother muttered something intelligible. "What was that?"

"There didn't seem to be any point," Sam muttered in a slightly louder voice, his eyes averted from Dean's face. "After…After my 'run in' with dad and what he said…about you not wanting to come after me and all the stuff about mom, there seemed to be no real purpose in taking care of myself. I just fell into hunting even more than before and tried to stay hidden, I thought that maybe…"

"Maybe what?"

"That maybe it would make the world better for you and Dad if I was gone," Sam finally admitted and Dean's heart broke slightly at the sheer desolation in his sibling's voice, and for the thousandth time he cursed his father to the very depths of hell.

"Now you listen to me Sam, if I lost you then I would have nothing…you hear me, nothing at all to live for. I know that I was a jerk before you disappeared, and believe me I wish more than anything that I had stood beside you against Dad. But I have never, ever wished that you were gone for good- all I've thought about until that night I found you was tracking you down and making sure that I never lost you again," Dean said, his eyes pleading with his brother to believe the truth in his words and he saw a glimmer of hope appear in his brother's mossy eyes.

"Really?"

"Yes really," Dean said with an emphatic nod and he was thrilled to see his brother's lips curl up slightly.

"I'm sorry," Sam said softly, and Dean merely nodded neither accepting nor declining the apology- he knew that Sam needed to apologize but he didn't need the apology because as far as he was concerned his brother had done nothing wrong.

"How about we go inside before Jim and Bobby explode with impatience?" He suggested cautiously, unsure of whether or not his brother was ready to face the other hunters.

"Okay," Sam agreed much to his surprise, but as his brother moved to get out of the car he saw in his brother's eyes that he had accepted Dean's words and that at least for now he was willing to do as Dean asked.

SPN-SPN

Dean led the way into the house, not failing to notice that Sam followed barely a step behind him but willing to let it go for now- he was just relieved that he had finally managed to draw his brother out of his shell even if it was only to a certain degree. They found the other hunters waiting in the living room, and he sent up a prayer of gratitude when Bobby and Jim refrained from pouncing on his brother as soon as they entered.

"Well you're a sight for sore eyes lad," Pastor Jim said as he motioned for the two boys to sit down as he pushed across two mugs of coffee as he covertly examined Sam, noting the pale features and dark circles.

"It's been a long time," Sam said quietly and then he gazed at Bobby who was giving him a similar appraisal. "Hey Bobby."

"Boy, you certainly gave us all a run for our money," the seasoned hunter grumbled grouchily, but he smiled at Sam's cautious greeting- he was truly glad to see the youngest Winchester although he could see that the happy, bubbly lad that had driven him bad with questions whenever the Winchesters had visited him had disappeared to be replaced by a wary boy who had faced too much on his own and had become a hunter older than his years. He hadn't failed to notice the disabled hand, and even though Dean had already filled them in on the details he was still shocked to see the evidence of John's insanity with his own eyes

"I learnt from the best," Sam retorted with a slight grin at the older hunter's words, and his eyes shifted to his brother- clearly insinuating that his brother was responsible for his sneakiness.

"Hey bitch, I haven't taught you anything of the sort," Dean protested as he caught his brother's glance.

"Jerk."

"Boys," Caleb, Bobby and Jim said in unison and Sam and Dean had to laugh at the appalled expression on the men's faces as they realised they'd had the same thought. However, that moment seemed to break any remaining tension and Dean felt his brother beginning to relax beside him.

SPN

Conversation moved onto more serious matters after that as Dean and Caleb filled the other hunters in on the near miss on the motorway.

"If it wasn't for Sam's quick thinking I doubt we'd be here now," Dean admitted when Bobby and Jim had calmed down somewhat, he glanced at his brother as he spoke and a grin spread across his face at the sight that met his eyes.

Sam had finally given into sleep and he was curled up in the corner of the sofa, his head buried between his arms and the sofa arm. A long tuft of chocolate curls obscured his face, and drifted in and out with each soft breath. As Dean and the other hunters watched the sleeping Winchester snuffled slightly in his sleep and shifted slightly before stilling once more.

"Well would you look at that," Dean said quietly, amused by his brother's cuteness when he slept and silently making a mental note of the situation for future leverage with his sibling. Relieved that his brother was finally resting, he quickly shrugged out of his beloved leather jacket and carefully draped it over Sam, smirking as his brother stirred enough to grasp the collar between his limp fingers and snuggle deeper into the material.

"Let's go into the kitchen so we don't disturb him," Jim suggested and Dean nodded, and the other hunters were struck by the sudden tender expression on his face as he rose and gazed briefly at his brother before the cocky grin reappeared and he followed them into the kitchen…

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	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or its characters.

A/N: Repost from my other account – please note this is unedited from the original version.

SPN-SPN

"So has Josh heard any news about Dad?" Dean asked as soon as they had relocated to the kitchen.

"A little bit," Bobby said and Dean perked up at once. "He's managed to find out a little bit about the hunters that your Dad's working with."

"And?" Dean demanded." Apparently one of them is called Gordon Walker, generally he only hunts vampires but according to Josh he's latched onto your dad's fool idea that Sam is the anti-Christ."

"Vampires? I thought they were myth?" Dean asked, choosing deliberately to ignore the mention of his father's anti-Christ theory.

"Unfortunately not, although a lot of lore about them is pure nonsense," Pastor Jim interjected as he handed Dean a fresh cup of coffee.

"What about the other hunters?" Dean asked as he sipped his coffee, deciding to find out more about vampires at a later date.

"The other two were slightly harder to find out about, all we really know for certain is that one of them is known as Jake Deakins. Josh is trying to find out some more from some friends of his and he phoned earlier to say that he's heading this way," Bobby added and Dean nodded, pleased to know least something about the men hunting his brother and also to here that they had another ally on the way.

"We need to find out where they are as soon as possible, I don't want to risk them getting near Sammy again," he said and the other hunters nodded in heartfelt agreement, they had all witnessed the changes that had been wrought in the youngest Winchester and they knew that what they'd seen barely touched the surface.

"Has he said anything much about what your Dad did?" Jim asked softly, knowing that if Sam had said anything it would've been to Dean.

"Not really, just a little bit about the nonsense Dad was speaking but I haven't really asked him about it. I figured he'd tell me when he's ready," Dean said with a shrug, his hazel eyes clouding over slightly.

"I'm sure he…" Bobby trailed off as the sound of smashing glass splintered the air.

"Sammy," Dean was up and moving before the other hunters could move, dashing into the living room with his mind conjuring all sorts of scenarios…

SPN

He was shocked to find his sibling still sleeping on the sofa, albeit restlessly, his pale face twisted with fear as he pressed his body unconsciously into the sofa. Scowling he looked around trying to locate the source of the noise, his eyes widening as they landed on the far wall of the living room. Previously there had been three large framed photos hanging off the wall, but now all three lay on the floor in a mess of broken wood and shattered glass. He frowned suddenly…there was no way the photos could have fallen off on their own account, with a sinking feeling he turned to glance at his restless brother.

As he watched Sam tensed and cried out in his sleep, almost simultaneously several books flew off the bookcase and Dean groaned.

"Dean, what the…?" Jim asked from the doorway where the three other men had gathered, but Dean raised a hand to stop him. Without a word he moved to his brother's side and crouched down beside him; warily he reached out and shook his brother.

"Come on Sammy wake up," he said urgently, Sam's forehead wrinkled as he began to stir, however, he merely attempted to snuggle down beneath Dean's jacket and move away from his brother's insistent shaking. "Sammy wake up." Dean ordered, pushing away the brief surge of amusement at his brother's behaviour. Reluctantly Sam opened his eyes and gazed sleepily at Dean for a second before his eyes drifted towards the destruction near the far wall and widened.

"Wha' happ'ned?" He asked drowsily as he raised a hand to rub at his head as he became aware of the dull ache pounding away within it.

"I think you just upped the whole psychic boy gig," Dean replied honestly and watched as his brother registered his words, his eyes flicking anxiously to the broken pictures and then back to Dean as he realised what his brother was suggesting.

"No, no, no," Sam said desperately as he pulled away from Dean, his expressive eyes filling with fresh fear and despair.

"Hey, hey," Dean said soothingly as he moved towards his distraught brother. "There's nothing to panic about okay?"

"I didn't mean to, I didn't," Sam didn't seem to have heard him and when Dean reached out to touch him he could feel the violent tremors running through his sibling's body. And his ears quickly detected that his brother's breathing was beginning to hitch.

"Sshh Sammy," he said softly as he sat down beside his frightened brother and gently began to rub circles on his back. "Deep breaths, in and out, in and out," he instructed in a calm voice, carefully burying his own fear and chaotic thoughts beneath a soothing mask knowing that his brother would panic even more if he knew exactly how Dean was feeling.

"S-sorry," Sam stammered out as his breathing began to settle once more and for a second Dean was about to reprimand him for apologizing unnecessarily once more but then he realised that he was actually speaking to Jim who had carefully settled into a nearby chair. Caleb and Bobby had disappeared from sight, and Dean was grateful for their tact.

"There's nothing to apologize for Sam," Pastor Jim said almost immediately, his eyes warm and compassionate as he met Sam's frightened gaze- his heart breaking for the young boy.

"But…" Sam started to protest.

"No buts, it was an accident and nothing more," Jim said firmly and Sam nodded more to mollify the man than in agreement with what he had said.

"Sammy what were you dreaming about?" Dean asked, drawing his brother's attention back to him and he watched as Sam frowned thoughtfully.

"I'm not sure," he said finally. "I think it was about Dad?"

"The incident on the road?"

"No…back when he," Sam pointed shakily at his hand, unable to verbalize what he was thinking and Dean nodded in understanding.

"No wonder your little gift decided to play up then," he said softly and Sam tilted his head as he considered his brother's words.

"You think it was just the nightmare?"

"Well we're not experiencing any anti-gravity at the moment and nothing's flying off the walls any more so I think it was the nightmare," Dean replied, glancing across at the Pastor to see if he concurred with his theory.

"Telekinesis, in fact most psychic abilities are often linked into emotions," Jim said thoughtfully. "And when you're asleep you can't control your emotions so I'd say that your brother's right."

"So it could happen again?" Sam asked, his gaze once more returning to the damage that he had wrought.

"Probably," Dean said, purposely making his tone relaxed and unworried but his brother sill looked anxious.

"What happens if I hurt someone? Or damage something really valuable?"

"We'll just make sure that you don't have anything dangerous or valuable near you whilst you sleep until you can gain some control over this," Dean replied easily- making a silent note to himself to make sure he didn't leave any weapons loaded or lying around in the foreseeable future.

"And if I don't get control over this?"

"Then we'll deal with that problem as we come to it, no point trying to cross bridges that we haven't got to yet," Dean said sternly- whilst he privately wondered exactly what they would do if his brother couldn't get a handle on this new ability.

At that moment Sam yawned widely and he rubbed tiredly at his eyes, reminding Dean that his brother had had very little sleep.

"How about you go lie down upstairs?" Jim suggested as he also saw the deep exhaustion in Sam's face, but Sam shook his head at once.

"I can't," he whispered miserably.

"I promise you there's nothing breakable in the guest room," Jim said as he realised what the problem was, and Sam looked at him doubtfully.

"Are you sure?" He was terrified of causing any more damage to anything or anyone- he didn't want to be a burden to anyone, especially Dean and he was terrified that is he was that his brother might reconsider staying with him.

"I'm sure."

"What do you say Sammy?" Dean asked hopefully.

"Okay," Sam muttered, still reluctant to believe that he wouldn't be able to cause damage in the guest room if he had another nightmare, which was extremely likely.

"It's the first room on the left," Jim said as Sam got slowly to his feet, passing the leather jacket back to his brother who had mimicked his action.

"Don't Dean, I'll be fine," he said to stop his brother following him, and he had to bite back a sigh as he saw a brief flicker of hurt cross Dean's face before a look of understanding replace it.

"Sweet dreams Sammy," he said and Sam nodded, although he doubted very much that his dreams would be sweet any time soon- not with what had happened and with his father and the other hunters still after him.

SPN

Dean watched with heavy heart as his little brother disappeared up the stairs, looking the picture of dejection and despair as he kept his head lowered. In his heart he cursing whatever higher being had decided to make his brother's life the way it was, he knew that Sam was strong, after all he had survived everything that had been thrown his way. But everyone had their limit, and Dean was terrified that Sam was on the brink of reaching that limit and he dreaded the thought of what would happen if Sam reached that point- would he be able to pull him back? As he had over the last few days whenever fear and despair had threatened to destroy his sibling…

SPN-SPN


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or its characters.

A/N: Repost from my other account – please note this is unedited from the original version.

SPN-SPN

Two days later

Dean yawned widely as he wandered into Jim's kitchen where the three older hunters were busy waking themselves up with mugs of strong coffee.

"Morning Dean," Jim said as he handed him a mug of coffee that Dean accepted gratefully before sliding into a chair beside Caleb.

"How's Sam?" Caleb asked turning to look Dean solemnly, and Dean sighed and took a long sip of his coffee before replying.

"Not good," he replied honestly as he gazed upwards for a minute as though he could see through the ceiling. "He's feeling bad about breaking stuff whenever he has a nightmare or gets startled, and he's terrified that Dad's going to turn up again."

"I've told him not to worry about breaking anything," Jim said sadly and Dean nodded, it had become a common utterance over the past couple of days but his brother didn't seem to believe them.

"He's still blaming himself," he said, letting his mind drift back to their second night at Jim's when he'd awoken to find their belongings strewn wildly around the room and his brother crying softly beneath his quilt. He was thankful that he hadn't taken any weapons in with them- even foregoing his knife-beneath-the-pillow habit in the interests of their safety; but he hated the look in his brother's eyes- the self-loathing and fear that filled them whenever his new found 'ability' played up. But nothing Dean said seemed to make a difference nowadays, and he couldn't help but wistfully think of the past when he could comfort his brother as easily as he could breathe; but there was four years' worth of experiences and solitude forming a barrier between them.

SPN

He was startled out of his thoughts as the back door swung open with a loud groan and the other hunters started to reach for weapons before realising that it was Joshua.

"Idjit," Bobby growled as he glared at the new arrival who merely grinned back with a look of wide-eyed innocence on his face.

"Sorry," Joshua said clearly not meaning it as he swung the door shut, his gaze falling on Dean who stared back at him evenly.

"Dean," Joshua said with a brief nod that Dean returned, however, he continued to look at the older hunter with a glint of hope in his hazel eyes.

"I've got some news for you but it's not that good," Joshua said and Dean braced himself for whatever his friend had discovered- praying that Sammy wasn't going to be at any more risk.

"I did some more digging into what your dad's been saying about Sam, and I came across others- children that had lost their moms in the same way that you boys did," Joshua hesitated here for a second. "All the ones I found have abilities of some sort- telekinesis, mind control and visions to name but a few."

"What's happened to them?"

"Over the last two years five of the children I've found have been murdered- either stabbed of shot at some distance. One lass, Ava Wilson has been intuitionalised and a couple of others have ended up either in prison or have disappeared completely," Joshua's voice was solemn as he watched Dean carefully, seeing the swirling emotions in the younger man's eyes.

"Those that were killed…? Dean asked in a tight voice as he tried to control his raging emotions, he couldn't finish his question but Joshua knew what he was really asking.

"Looks like hunters and I've heard rumours of Walker and Deakins boasting in bars about slowly destroying a demon army. I hate to say it Dean, but I think your Dad has been targeting others as well as Sam."

"I won't let any of that happen to Sam," Dean growled as he got to his feet and paced across the kitchen. "Have you got any idea where my father is now?"

"None lad, I tried everyone I knew on the way over here but he seems to have dropped off the radar."

"If he saw Caleb he could be trying everyone's houses to see if we're holed up anywhere," Dean said thoughtfully, trying not to imagine his father watching them as they spoke.

"I know you want to keep Sam safer, but I think you should stay- there's four of us here to help," Jim said as he looked at Dean and Dean nodded reluctantly- he could understand the logic in the pastors words but his first instinct was still to get his brother to safety; but then how would they deal with his new ability in a motel that would be full of breakable things and non-sympathetic owners.

"We'll stay but until we know exactly where my father is I don't want Sam to know that we can't find him, and I don't want him to hear about the other children."

"Dean, are you sure that's the best thing to do?" Bobby asked.

"Yes, he's already got enough on his plate and he'll find some way to pin the blame on himself he learns about the others," Dean said firmly and the other hunters nodded in agreement although they weren't entirely happy about lying to the youngest Winchester. "I'm going to see if I can get him to come down," he added as he headed out of the kitchen to go and find his sibling.

SPN-SPN

Sam glowered at the newest evidence of his unwanted gift- he had just managed to drop off again after Dean had headed downstairs when he'd begun to dream…only to be woken by the sound of books falling. Now as he gazed at the pile of books lying across the room from him, all he felt was cold despair. He had hoped that Dean's prediction that he could gain control over this latest development would happen quickly, but instead it seemed to be getting worse and he was sick of constantly wreaking evidence- and the more he tried not to think about it the more he began to think that his dad's accusations had some truth to them. He couldn't tell Dean that though because his sibling truly believed that their father was deluded, and for a while he'd allowed himself to cling to his brother's belief but he was quickly losing his faith.

Sighing he buried his head in his knees as he tried to relieve the headache that seemed to have taken up permanent residence behind his eyes- he didn't know if it was the remnants of his vision or whether his new ability was causing but nothing he tried would shift the headache.

"Sammy?" Dean's anxious voice made him start in sudden fear, and as he winced because his head protested the violent moving he was met by the sound of more books hitting the far wall. "Sorry little brother," Dean said contritely as Sam looked up with a pained expression on his face, and Sam forced a wan smile as his brother came to sit beside him.

"I'm sick of it Dean." Dean froze at his brother's heartfelt confession- did his brother mean he was sick of his telekinesis? His fear? Or life in general?

"What do you mean Sammy?" He asked warily as he carefully put his arm around his brother and pulled him close.

"The headaches and the flying objects," Sam replied and Dean relaxed slightly although he didn't loosen his hold. "I just want some normalcy for once or at least what's normal for us."

"Well that I can do something about, come on Sammy," Dean said with a sudden grin as he pulled his brother to his feet.

"What…?"

"Shh, no questions come on," Dean said and his exuberance was so catching that Sam managed a small smile as he followed his brother downstairs.

"Jim we'll be back in a while, we're just going into town," Dean called as they passed the kitchen and he deliberately ignored the concerned looks on the other hunters' faces. Sure it was risky seen as though they didn't know where John was but he wasn't going to keep his brother imprisoned, and it would do Sam some good to have a taste of normal in all the chaos.

Dean didn't miss the fresh spark in his brother's eyes as they headed out to the Impala, and he felt glad that he had helped to put it there.

"I'll even let you pick the music," he said cheerfully as they slid into the car and at that Sam smiled widely, some of the tension in his soulful gaze disappearing as he relaxed in the 'normalness'. Moments later the Impala roared out of the driveway with the bold tones of AC/DC blasting from within it.

SPN-SPN

Jim watched as the two boys piled into the Impala and disappeared in a plume of dust, and he hoped that Dean knew what he was doing- but he had to admit that getting out of the house would do Sam some good.

"Whilst the boys are gone we should try and get some news on where John…" He trailed off as his cell phone rang and he frowned as he moved to answer it- only his hunting contacts used that number and all but the Winchesters were currently sitting in his kitchen. He checked the number and felt his gut clench as _John Winchester_ flashed up on the screen; glancing briefly at his companions he flipped the phone open.

"John," he said marvelling at his calmness, and holding up a cautionary finger as Caleb shifted angrily in his seat.

"_I know the boys are there Jim,"_ John's voice was icy as he spoke and Jim couldn't prevent the shiver that went through him.

"I don't know what you mean; I haven't seen the boys…"

"_Don't lie to me Jim; I've just seen the Impala coming out of your drive."_

"John this has got to stop, you can't hunt your own flesh and blood," Jim said sternly trying not to show his alarm at the thought that John and his companions were so close to the two boys.

"_I'm surprised at you Jim; I would have though a man of the cloth would approve of me removing a supernatural creature from the face of the earth. Clearly I was mistaken, as I was in believing that you were my friend."_

"Sam is nothing more than an eighteen year old boy," Jim growled and he could see the other hunters getting angrier as they listened to the increasingly unfriendly exchange.

"_I see that he's fooled you just like he's fooled Dean,"_ John sighed heavily and Jim scowled._ "Don't worry Jim it'll all be over soon, and then his supernatural influence over you all will be ended."_

"God Dammit John," Jim barked not even flinching at his abuse of God's name as his blue eyes flashed with anger.

"_You and God will thank me when I'm done. Tell the boy that I'll be seeing him very soon."_ With that John hung up and Jim was faced with the dialling tone as he slowly closed his phone, a sick feeling crawling into his gut.

"Call Dean and tell him to get his and Sam's rear ends back here," he ground out as he handed his phone to Caleb who immediately rose and disappeared into the hallway. "We've got to check the grounds, John's around here somewhere and he is not getting within a foot of those boys," he added as he turned to Joshua and Bobby who both had murderous expressions on their face.

"We'll find him," Joshua growled as he headed for the back door with Bobby closely on his heels.

SPN-SPN

John slammed his fist onto the dashboard of his vehicle as he tossed his phone into the passenger seat. He couldn't believe that Sam had managed to lie his way into obtaining protection from within John's very own circle of friends- he growled furiously, first that 'thing' had killed his wife, then he'd taken Dean and now he was twisting other hunters to serve his own purpose. His fingers clenched- soon he would take his youngest and he would finally put an end to the apocalypse that had been brewing since his beloved Mary had died and he would take from the monster what the monster had taken from him and more…

SPN-SPN


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or its characters.

A/N: Repost from my other account – please note this is unedited from the original version.

SPN-SPN

Caleb cursed as he stopped midway through dialling Dean's number, recalling that the Winchester had destroyed his phone back in Florida and that they'd gotten rid of Sam's as well following the near miss on the road.

"Jim they haven't got their phones anymore," he said as he strode back into the kitchen, choosing not to mention the strained look on his friend's face or the fury smouldering in his normally gentle eyes.

"We shouldn't have let them go," Jim growled as he slammed his hand down on the counter- a pit of nausea eating at him as he recalled the sheer venom in John's voice when he spoke about his youngest.

"We didn't exactly have a choice Jim, and besides Sam can't be kept hidden away for the rest of his life."

" I know," Jim sighed wearily as he rubbed his hand over his face. " I'm going to go help Bobby and Joshua search the grounds and the Church."

"I'll head into town and see if I can track the boys down," Caleb said as he checked his gun was loaded before tucking it back into the lining of his jeans.

"Be careful," Jim cautioned the younger hunter before they separated.

"You too."

SPN-SPN

Dean couldn't help but be amused by his brother's wide-eyed eagerness as they wandered aimlessly around Blue earth searching for somewhere to eat; but then again he couldn't blame the kid after the last few days of being cooped up.

"What about here?" He asked as they came across a small, nearly empty diner.

"Sure," Sam replied and Dean was pleased to hear that the strain that had been present earlier seemed to have receded at least for a while and he couldn't hide his wide grin as he followed his sibling into the diner.

As soon as they had settled in the booth furthest from the door the waitress scurried over, and Dean glanced at her briefly- noting the pretty face and curvy figure before his attention swung back to the menu and his brother.

"I'll have the breakfast special and a coffee," he said a moment later.

"Sure sweetie, and for you sir?"

"I'll have the same," Sam said and Dean had to hide his surprise- his brother was always so healthy, but then again he reflected his brother could use as much food as possible at the moment.

"Is that all?" The waitress's gaze flicked back to Dean an almost predatory smile on her face and Sam watched as his brother merely nodded in reply instead of flirting with the obviously eager woman.

"Who are you and what have you done with my brother?" Sam demanded as the waitress stalked off, clearly annoyed by Dean's lack of interest and Dean frowned in sincere confusion. "I remember when you were obsessed with nearly every woman you came across."

"That was then Sammy-boy," Dean replied and for a brief moment he saw a flash of guilt cross his brother's face as he realised that Dean had been otherwise pre-occupied in recent times. "So are you going to tell me about some of your hunts? I mean I know some stuff from all the rumours, but nothing really detailed," he said quickly redirecting the conversation before his brother could try and apologize for something else that he wasn't to blame for.

"What do you want to know?" Sam asked, realising his brother's ploy and choosing to follow it for now.

"I dunno, anything really," Dean, said slightly surprised by his brother's willingness to talk. "What was your first hunt?"

"A poltergeist in Idaho a couple months after I left," Sam said after a long moment, and he glanced up at Dean with a sheepish grin. "It was a disaster."

"Why?"

" I wasn't ready and the bloody thing used me as a bouncing ball when I was trying to get the herb bags into the corners of this huge factory," Sam replied and Dean frowned slightly, once again being reminded that his brother had been injured many times when he hadn't been there to protect him.

"Were you badly injured?" He forced himself to ask.

"A couple of busted ribs, a broken wrist and a nice concussion courtesy of a large lump on my head," Sam said calmly, although he watched his brother carefully wondering how he would respond.

"So a disaster would be an understatement," Dean said dryly and Sam nodded with a wry smile.

"Just a little," he admitted.

They halted their conversation as the waitress appeared with their orders and tried one more unsuccessful attempt to tempt Dean before stalking off with a scathing look at Sam- clearly blaming him for her lack of success.

"I take it that your hunting improved?" Dean asked as tucked into his breakfast with relish while Sam approached his own in a more orderly fashion.

"Yeah although there were a couple of other disasters in the early days, but after about six months I started to get injured less and less."

"Well that explains why the rumours about the 'boy hunter' didn't start up till about a year after you left," Dean said thoughtfully, smirking slightly as he saw the faint blush spread across Sam's face. "The first time I heard them was when I was following up a lead in Texas, something to do with a werewolf."

"I remember that hunt, it was the first time I'd faced a werewolf," Sam said with a small smile, and Dean nodded for him to elaborate. "It was going after the locals at a local bar, and it took me until the third night of the full moon to realise that it was this local drunk that had been barred a couple of weeks before hand and he very nearly managed to make me into his lunch before I got him."

"Nice," Dean commented as he swallowed a mouthful of eggs, his mind filing away everything his brother said because he didn't know when Sam was going to be this open with him again. "Sam, I hate to ask but how did Dad get you? I mean I followed every lead and rumour, and checked every hospital in whatever state I was in and I could never find you or I had just missed you."

He watched as his brother's smile faded and his green eyes became distant for a minute before he turned his gaze back to the brother, and seeing the compassion and the desire to understand in Dean's eyes he sighed.

"I was in Kentucky, there was a haunted asylum where several people had been killed and I went across to take care of it even though it was out of my pattern. Whilst I was there I had a vision about a little girl getting run over, and the next day I was walking up the road when I saw the same girl run out in front of this car. I was already moving towards her when she ran into the road, and I knocked her out of the way. I ended up in hospital with a concussion and a dislocated shoulder, and the next day I found I was all across the newspapers- they were proclaiming me as a hero and remarking on how I seemed to know what was going to happen before it did," Sam trailed off for a second as he rubbed absentmindedly at his hand, his eyes sad as he glanced at Dean who was watching silently. "That evening when they released me from the hospital I walked back to my motel room, and dad and another hunter were waiting for m-me." Sam's voice broke a little bit at that point, and Dean immediately reached out to gently touch his arm and offer his support.

"Easy Sammy," he said soothingly and Sam nodded as he furiously blinked away the tears threatening to escape his eyes.

"I thought he was possessed," he whispered after a brief silence and Dean's grip tightened slightly. "I said _Cristo_ and I tried an exorcism, but they just laughed at me and there was no response at all. I couldn't believe that he would do…that he would do what he did of his own free will b-but he did."

"Shh Sammy," Dean said softly, trying to console his brother even though he knew that it was beyond even him to be able to explain how a father could turn on his own child in such a brutal manner.

SPN

"Dean! Sam!" Their moment was broken and they both glanced up in alarm as Caleb came striding towards their table, a look of relief on his face as he slid into the booth next to Dean.

"Sorry to disturb you," he added as he saw the tension and tears in Sam's eyes as the youngest Winchester shifted his gaze away from Dean to him before tuning it the table.

"What is it?" Dean asked shortly, silently cursing Caleb's intrusion as he felt his brother withdrawing once more.

"Your dad," Caleb's terse answer made Sam look up in alarm, his green eyes flicking rapidly around the café before returning to the other hunter.

"Where?"

"He's in Blue earth, he called Jim and told him that he'd seen the two of you leaving Jim's house," Caleb said, and he felt terrible for being the bearer of bad news as he saw the desperate fear in Sam's eyes as he looked to Dean.

"Where are the others?" Dean asked as he once more reached out to support his terrified sibling, his gaze hard as he looked at Caleb.

"Searching the grounds and the Church for any sign of John or the others."

"We have to go back," Sam said, finally speaking up. Dean frowned as he heard the audible tremor in his sibling's voice.

"Surely it'd be safer if you stayed away until we hear from the others?" Caleb asked, not understanding why Sam would want to risk going back when he was clearly terrified of his father.

"He c-could hurt the others," Sam explained his voice slightly steadier, however, the sound of plates crashing to the floor near the counter ruined the illusion that his fear was abating.

"And he could hurt you more if you go back," Dean protested hotly, and his brother turned pleading eyes to him.

"Please Dean, I can't let him hurt other because of me," Sam was desperate now, he had no doubt that his father was getting to the point where he would not care about collateral damage if it meant he could get hold of Sam.

"Caleb try and get hold of one of the others," Dean said after a moment, and then his gaze locked with Sam's. "If there's something wrong or there's no answer then we'll go back, if not we'll wait till they give us the all clear. Okay?"

"Okay," Sam replied reluctantly, and then he got to his feet. "I'm just going to the bathroom," he explained as Dean started to rise to stop him.

"Don't be long," Dean cautioned as he sat down and Sam nodded briefly before disappearing, once his brother had gone into the toilets Dean nodded to Caleb who obediently dialled Jim's cell phone.

Ring…ring…ring…ring… "Hello, Caleb?"

"Hey Jim, I've found them and we wanted to know if you've found anything before we head back."

"Nothing, there's no sign of him or his companions…or none that we can find. Bobby and Joshua are just doing a second search now."

"Nothing at all?"

"_I'm starting to think it's a bluff, but you should wait till we've finished our second search."_

"Okay we'll hang around here until you call and give us the all clear."

Caleb flipped his phone shut and shook his head at Dean who sighed.

"Dammit, I was hoping they'd find something," he growled irritably, and Caleb nodded sympathetically as he gazed towards the toilets idly wondering what was taking Sam so long. Dean noticed his gaze and frowned with concern when he caught onto what Caleb was thinking- his brother was taking too long. "Wait here," he said as he got to his feet and slipped past the other hunter before hurrying towards the toilets, deftly dodging the waitress.

"Sammy!" He called anxiously as he stepped into the toilets, his eyes flicking quickly from the deserted cubicles to the open window at the end of the room and he cursed violently as he realised what his baby brother had done. Swallowing hard he turned and dashed back out to Caleb. "He's gone," he growled as he tossed down some money before heading for the door with Caleb on his heels.

"Do you think he's taken off again?" Caleb asked as he struggled to keep up with the worried Winchester as he headed back towards where he'd parked the Impala.

"No, he's gone back to Jim's," Dean said with certainty, knowing that his brother was only trying to protect those that were trying to protect him- but terrified that his brother would fall into John's hands again.

As they turned into the street where Dean had parked Caleb let out a string of angry curses that made Dean stop to look at him in alarm.

"He's taken my car," Caleb explained, and Dean paled slightly as he realised that Sam now had a very big head start on them.

"Come on," he snapped as he led the way to his baby, his mind fixated on finding his brother and then kicking his behind into next week for scaring them. As soon as they were in he started the car and floored it, trying not to think about what his brother could be rushing into.

SPN-SPN

Sam was terrified. Every nerve in his body was telling him to drive as fast as he could in the other direction or to find Dean. But he couldn't risk his father taking his anger out on the other hunters…or even worse his brother; and it was that fear that was forcing him to drive towards his greatest fear. As Jim's drive came into view he started to silently recite every prayer that he could think of, as his terror built- he knew that his father was nearby.

_Boom!_ The sudden loud retort of a shotgun broke into his terrified thoughts and he slammed the breaks on as the rear window on Caleb's SUV disappeared in a cloud of shattered glass. He didn't have time to curse his unhelpful telekinesis as his gaze zeroed in on the three figures standing before him on the driveway…and more specifically on the figure of John Winchester who was stood glaring at him as he held a dagger to Bobby's throat as he held the struggling hunter firm.

"Bobby," Sam breathed as his gaze darted briefly to the dark-skinned man standing beside his father, a smoking shotgun aimed directly at Sam.

"Why don't you get out of the vehicle Samuel?" John called, and Sam flinched in fear as he recalled the last time he had heard his father's voice. "Now Samuel before my knife slips," the sight of the dagger moving even closer to Bobby's throat galvanised Sam into action as he slid out of the vehicle, his body wracked with tremors of fear.

"Let Bobby go and I'll come with you," he said as he moved to stand in front of the vehicle, ignoring the desperate look in Bobby's eyes as he shook his head at Sam's words- silently begging the teenager to run.

"You'll come with us if you don't want Bobby to die," John growled, his eyes darkening as he looked at his youngest. "I want him to hear you when you confess, I want him to see the monster that you really are." Sam felt his heart breaking once more as he felt anew the hatred emanating from one of the two men in the world who should love him.

"Don't hurt him," he repeated as his father's companion moved towards him and he remained where he was, allowing the hunter to approach as he realised that this was the only way he could save those he cared about.

"Step away from the car," the hunter ordered harshly as he approached and Sam obeyed keeping his head low in dejected compliance, as he tried to prepare himself for what was to come. "Turn around with your back to me." Again Sam obeyed without protest although he hated the look of anguish in Bobby's eyes.

All further thought vanished as the hunter suddenly brought the butt of the shotgun down on the back of Sam's head, sending the teenager crashing to the floor with a yelp of pain.

"You son'v'a bitch!" Sam vaguely heard Bobby's furious yell from somewhere behind him before the gun connected with his head once more and he spiralled down into darkness…

SPN-SPN


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or its characters.

A/N: Repost from my other account – please note this is unedited from the original version.

SPN-SPN

Dean cursed as he brought the Impala to a halt, his eyes narrowing as he took in the emergency vehicles that were blocking the road.

"Not now," he growled as he brought his fist down on the dashboard.

"We're going to have to go around Deuce," Caleb said as calmly as possible, even though he too knew that it was going to waste time that they didn't have.

"He better not touch him," Dean snarled as he threw the car into a sharp u-turn, his eyes glinting dangerously and Caleb almost felt pity for what John was going to face when his eldest caught up with him…almost…

SPN

The first thing that Sam was aware of as he clawed his way back into consciousness was that he was hanging from something.

"Dean," he mumbled as his head began to pound in earnest as he regained awareness, and memory of what had happened came flooding back to him.

"Sam," a low worried voice called, and he jerked his head up in surprise- regretting the sudden movement as it sent a spike of pain through his head. Hissing in pain he cautiously opened his eyes, realising at once that he was in Jim's church- warily he looked around and was surprised and alarmed to find Jim, Bobby and Joshua sitting stiffly in the front row of the benches, their faces full of concern as they gazed at him.

"Wha' Happened?" He asked hoarsely, his mouth feeling like cotton wool as he forced the words out.

"They got the drop on us," Joshua growled, watching anxiously as Sam's eyes roamed around the Church without seeming to take anything in. "Sam, look at us." Slowly Sam returned his gaze to the hunters, feeling unbelievably exhausted from even that limited movement.

"Where is he?" He asked faintly as he realised that there was no sign of his father, and that disturbed him more than anything.

"I thinks he's waiting for Dean and Caleb," Bobby responded and Sam nodded as he twisted his head to see what was holding him up and off the ground- his expressive eyes filling with fear as he realised that he'd been bound to a make-shift wooden cross with his shirt removed. At once he began to struggle, straining without success against the coarse ropes holding him place.

"Sam calm down," Jim called, feeling his heart clench as the teenager continued to struggle against the bindings as silent tears began to trickle down his pale cheeks and the pastor cursed his own bindings preventing him from getting to the boy. "Sam stop!"

"No, no, no," Sam was frantic now, and the other hunters watched he as threw himself as far away from the wood as the ropes would allow before slumping back against it and then trying again.

However, within minutes his desperate attempts to free himself left him limp with exhaustion and pain, with fresh blood trickling down his wrists from where he had rubbed them raw against the ropes.

"Dean," he whispered as he let his head slump onto his chest, trying to hide the tears cascading down his face as he tried to prepare himself for what he knew was to come, and wishing that the other hunter were not there to watch what his father was going to do.

"Hello Samuel," as though summoned his father appeared in the doorway, and Sam's breath hitched as he jerked his head up to gaze at the man as he moved towards him; his eyes searching briefly behind him to see if Dean was there but his father appeared to be alone. "I told you that I'd catch up with you one way or another."

"Go to hell," Sam managed to grit out, masking his terror as he glanced briefly at Jim and the others for support.

"You know," John continued as though Sam hadn't spoken. "I had intended to wait until Dean got here, but he seems to be taking his own sweet time. Perhaps he's realised the truth about you and is leaving it up to me to finish it."

"Dean wouldn't do that," Sam said, but there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice and he couldn't meet his father's dark gaze as he stood in front of him.

"Are you sure about that? I mean remember Dean's motto- 'if its supernatural we kill it, no questions asked'- are you really sure that he won't apply that to you, especially as you're the monster that took his mother from him," John's voice was malicious as he took in the damage his words were wreaking on his youngest, relishing in the pain in the mossy green eyes that wouldn't hold his gaze.

"Stop it John," Joshua growled, hating to see the pain and fear in the teenager's face and wanting nothing more than to get hold of the oldest Winchester and shake some sense back into the man.

"He's got you all fooled," John replied as he briefly turned his attention the other hunters. "But you'll see soon enough that his innocence is nothing more than an illusion to protect himself with, isn't that right Samuel," he snarled as he turned without warning and grasped Sam tightly around the throat, digging his fingers in hard enough to draw blood.

SPN

"Let him go," a furious voice ground out, and John obeyed as he turned to find his eldest standing in the doorway with his gun aimed directly at his father. Sam choked slightly as he drew in ragged breaths, his eyes flicking anxiously between his brother and his father all the while thinking- _he came…he came…_

"Dean. Son, it's good to see you," John said, his voice suddenly filled with warmth and Sam couldn't help the brief flash of jealously that ran through him.

"I wish I could return the sentiment," Dean said, as he looked at his brother- frowning as he took in the bloody wrists and dull, concussed look in his sibling's eyes. "Sammy, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Dean frowned at the obvious lie and the shaky response.

"Let him go," he demanded as he switched his attention back to his father, his eyes hard with anger and hatred.

"I can't do that Dean. This is the thing that is responsible for your mother's death, and I can't just let him get away with it."

"He's your son," Dean spat.

"No he is not, I only have one son like I told you on the phone," John growled back, and Dean glanced guiltily at his brother who was watching him with a hurt expression on his pale, tear-stained face.

"If you can't see Sam as he is, then you have no sons," Dean countered, and a look of anguish flittered briefly through John's eyes before being replaced with a grim gleam.

"You'll see soon enough what this thing really is."

Sam's eyes widened as he caught sight of movement behind his brother and he opened his mouth to warn his sibling, but at the same moment his father turned and drove his fist into Sam's abdomen- robbing him of his breath and his voice. He could only watch helplessly as one of his father's companions dove on his brother and wrestled the gun out of his hand before driving Dean to the floor and pinning him there with his knee.

"I'm sorry son, but you need to know the truth," John sounded truly contrite as Dean was subdued and his hands bound tightly behind him before the other hunter shoved across to where the other hunters were sat.

"Screw you," Dean snarled furiously, locking gazes with his brother as he panted heavily trying to recover his breath. "Sammy don't you listen to him," he added desperately, suddenly terrified by the despairing acceptance in his siblings eyes as he stared at his big brother as though hoping that he had the answers and it broke Dean's heart to know that for now at least he couldn't help his brother.

SPN

Sam tensed as his father turned his full attention back to him, and he trembled at the pure hatred in the dark hazel eyes that seemed to bore into his own.

"We can do this quick and painless, or long and painfully," John said softly. "But I want answers."

"I don't have the answers that you want," Sam whispered, knowing that his father wouldn't believe him and sure enough John's eyes flashed with anger.

"Don't lie to me Samuel," there was a dangerous edge to John's voice now, and Sam felt a thrill of terror as the other hunter handed his father an all-too- familiar tool and his breath hitched as he gazed wildly at Dean…

Moments later the church was filled with the sounds of Sam's anguished screams…

SPN-SPN


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or its characters.

A/N: Repost from my other account – please note this is unedited from the original version.

SPN-SPN

"You sorry son of a bitch," Dean growled furiously, only the gun pointed at his sibling preventing him from throwing himself at the man that was supposed to be his father. His hazel eyes were focused on Sam as his brother gasped for breath as he tried to bite back the gasps of pain trying to escape, he couldn't bring himself to gaze at his brother's hand- knowing already what had been done. His eyes briefly wandered to the other hunter standing guard in the door way before returning to Sam.

"Dean," Sam's head jerked awkwardly upwards as he heard his brother's angry words, Dean's voice throwing him a lifeline that he hadn't had last time he'd faced his father.

"Shut up," John snarled as he back-handed the teenager, Sam bit back a yelp as his sore head jolted backwards and he gazed back at his father- flinching as Jim's carefully arranged bibles flew from their places on the pews, his eyes widening as his father glanced at the falling books and then at him with a look of grim understanding. "A new power? Samuel you have been a busy boy."

"Bite me," Sam offered with confidence he didn't really feel, even though just having Dean present seemed to hold his terror at bay- at least for now.

"Where is the demon?" John demanded harshly and Sam fell silent- he didn't have the answers that his father wanted and he knew from experience that his father would not believe him so what was the point of speaking up.

"For God's sake John, he's just a teenage boy he doesn't know any more than you do about what killed Mary," Jim spoke up, alarmed by the fact that the rage in John's eyes was intensifying and fearing what the deranged hunter had in store for the already wounded teenager.

"Be quiet," John snapped as he paused to glare at the pastor before turning his focus back to Sam, who warily met his gaze. "Where is the demon?" He repeated and Sam remained silent, his eyes seeking out his brother who was watching him with a tortured expression on his face- desperate to help Sam, but unable to.

Growling John swung his fist hard into Sam's abdomen again and again, causing the teenager to gasp in pain and to struggle for breath as he tried unsuccessfully to protect his stretched out body.

"Answer me!"

"I d-don't know," Sam cried between coughs as he tried desperately to draw in oxygen, too distracted to notice as his telekinesis reacted to his fear and destroyed the carefully cared for plants around the Church.

"Don't lie," John snarled in response as he continued to strike his son, and Sam's struggles began to slow as shadows began to crowd in on the end of his vision as blood trickled out of the corner of his lips. Just as he was about to sink into the shadows the rain of blows stopped, and he greedily sucked in air as he dazedly raised his head to gaze at his father- struggling to cling to consciousness as pain and bloodless threatened to drag him down into the darkness.

"Dad," he whispered beseechingly. "Please…"

"Don't try your tricks on me, you may have fooled your brother and the others but you're not going to use you tricks on me," there was no sign of forgiveness or mercy in John's voice, and Sam realised that his father truly meant to kill him- and the last vestige of hope that he had clung to in secret dissipated as he hung his head in defeat as he allowed his anguish to wash over him like a tidal wave.

"Kill me," he said a moment later as he raised his head once more, his mossy eyes dull and distant as he stared at his father. "I can't give you the answers you want, so you might as well end it."

"No Sammy," Dean cried in alarm as he heard the sheer defeat in his sibling's quiet voice, and his heart broke further as he met Sam's gaze and he saw the almost lifeless look in his brother's soulful eyes. His eyes quickly travelled over his brothers injuries- the swollen, blood –caked lumps on the back of his head, the mutilated hand, and the rapidly bruising abdomen and eye and the increasingly laboured breathing- he couldn't blame his brother for seeking an escape from the pain and the fear but he couldn't…wouldn't let his brother slip away from him. "Sammy you fight him. Mom would want you to fight him," he added, allowing a small smirk to spring to his face as John whirled around to glower at him in anger.

"Your mom would want him to die Dean, she would want vengeance against the thing responsible for her death."

SPN

Dean glanced back at his brother, an idea stirring in the depths of his mind as he realised that his brother's 'gift' had stopped even though his brother still had to be terrified- but then again he thought as he gazed at his defeated sibling Sam had probably been pushed beyond terror.

"Mom's dead," Dean spat as he refocused on his father. "She died years ago, that part of our lives is over." He sent up a silent apology to his mother as he spoke, but he was pleased to see the anger stirring in his father- anger aimed at him rather than his sibling who had returned to gazing at the floor. He felt Bobby and the other hunters beside him tense, and he wished that he could warn them of his intentions but his father took up all his focus.

"Don't speak about your mother like that," there was a deadly edge to John's voice as he moved towards Dean, and Dean grinned cockily at him.

"Why not? It's the truth, you know she's nothing more than a memory now to me, and Sam never got the chance to know her," Dean paused for a second to gauge his dad's mood before diving in for the kill. "The only reason why you cling to her memory is so that you had an excuse to drag us around the country seeking vengeance, when all you really want is to rid yourself of the guilt."

With a wordless snarl of hatred and anger John sprang towards Dean, drawing a knife as he closed in on his eldest.

"No," Sam cried softly as his head shot up- he had missed most of what had been said, but the threat to his brother had broken through his desolation. "Not Dean," his voice wobbled slightly, and everyone present turned to look at him –including John who had halted feet away from Dean- as his eyes dilated, the mossy green irises becoming flecked with streaks of gold.

"Sammy?" Dean asked anxiously, wandering if he had been wise to cause his brother's fear to rise once more. His concern growing as his brother gasped in pain as a fresh trickle of blood began to drip from his nose, however, his attention was diverted as the church began to shudder and shake as though caught in the throes of an earthquake.

"What have you done?" Bobby demanded as the stained glass windows erupted showering them all with glass, as an invisible force spread through the church- shaking everything that it came in contact with except for the hunters.

"I have no idea," Dean whispered in sudden fear, as they ducked to avoid the various objects that were being hurled through the air, but his gaze was locked on the figure bound helplessly to the makeshift cross. Sam was the catalyst for what was happening, but he clearly had no control over it- and Dean was doubtful that his brother was even aware of what was happening as he saw his sibling's empty gaze and felt his fear creep up a notch.

"See," John howled triumphantly as he struggled to get to Sam. "See what your brother is capable of!"

As though sensing the threat, the invisible force gripping the church and its inhabitants seemed to intensify and Dean was thrown roughly to ground as Bobby and the others attempted to cover him as the pews began to move, and chunks of masonry began to fall apart filling the air with dust.

"SAMMY!" He yelled desperately, trying to break his brother out of the state that he had pushed him into, watching in terror as pew just missed his helpless sibling. "SAMMY STOP IT!" He bellowed, and suddenly Sam's eerily dilated eyes snapped towards him and awareness seemed to flood back into them as they stared at Dean in confusion and sudden terror; with abrupt suddenness everything that had been airborne crashed back to the ground and Dean jerked as his father cried out in pain as a heavy pew dropped down on top of him, pinning his legs.

"D-Dea…"Sam's terrified whisper was cut off as the roof of the church finally gave way, and chunks of masonry and tiles rained from the ceiling and all Dean and the other hunters could do was watch as Sam and John disappeared from sight.

SPN

"SAMMY!" Dean yelled once the rain of material had halted, and his voice echoed disturbingly in the sudden silence and terror gnawed at his heart as he peered into the dust as he strained for an answer…but all that met his desperate cry was the sound of rock settling into place…

SPN-SPN


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or its characters.

A/N: Repost from my other account – please note this is unedited from the original version.

SPN-SPN

Dean's attention was drawn from the pile of rubble hiding and possibly burying his brother as a bloodied and bruised Caleb hurtled through the doorway, colliding with John's companion as he turned to flee. Without proviso Caleb slammed the other hunter into the doorframe, and Dean winced as the man's head connected hard with the wall before the hunter crumpled unconscious to the floor.

"About damn time," Bobby growled as Caleb moved swiftly across to them and quickly began to untie them.

"Sorry I had to take care of the other hunters," Caleb responded grimly as he freed Dean, his eyes flicking around the semi-destroyed church. "What the hell happened? Where's Sammy?" Dean didn't respond and as soon as he was free he surged to his feet and dashed towards the wall of rubble, his eyes anguished as he frantically began to pull the rubble away.

"SAMMY!" He hollered as he worked- his mind conjuring images of his brother lying crushed beneath the rubble; images that shattered his heart even as he denied them. He ignored the other hunters as they began to work beside him, his whole being focused only on finding his little brother and making sure that he never left his sight or side ever again…

SPN-SPN

As Sam shifted slowly back into wakefulness he immediately wished that he hadn't as his body assaulted with a wave of pain, moaning softly he cautiously inched his head upwards- his eyes widening as he realised what he had done.

"Dean," he muttered as he slowly twisted his head to look around him, realising with a surge of hope that the right strut of the cross-had snapped, freeing his arm. Biting his lip against the pain that intensified as he moved he carefully drew his hand towards his chest. Closing his eyes he shifted his body until he could reach the ropes binding his left arm in place, groaning as his body protested he fumbled with the ropes- but he couldn't bring himself to look at the fresh damage that had been wrought.

A sharp cry of pain forced itself through his lips as the ropes gave and he fell heavily to the floor, coughing as he sent a cloud of dust into the air. Blinking back tears he pulled himself up onto hands and knees, trying to steady himself as his vision blurred. Panting heavily he forced himself to look around, and he felt a surge of fear as his gaze fell on his father. The older man was partially pinned beneath a pew and rubble, but his dark gaze was steady as he glared at Sam who shivered slightly as he stared back. For a long second he hesitated…his father couldn't hurt him in his current predicament, but, despite everything Sam couldn't bring himself to hurt the man and with a stifled gasp he stumbled awkwardly to his feet, cradling his wounded hand to his chest as he moved warily towards John.

"Kill me then," John spat as he saw his son approaching.

"No," Sam responded breathlessly as he coughed violently, feeling fresh blood trickling from his lips as he struggled to catch his breath. "I'm not like you," he added as he skirted his father and carefully eyed up the pew trapping him in place.

"What are you doing?" John demanded as Sam grasped the Pew with his uninjured hand and began to push against it with his entire body.

"Getting this off you," Sam said through gritted teeth, his head feeling strangely light-headed as he pushed his body to the limit- determined to free his father before the shadows creeping across his mind claimed him.

"Why?" John's voice was softer this time and filled with confusion, as he gazed at the teenager with a bemused look on his face.

"I don't know," Sam admitted, feeling a wave of relief as the pew began to shift. He coughed violently again and his body curled in on itself as his ribs and abdomen protested and tears of pain leaked down his pale, dust-streaked cheeks.

"Samuel? Sam?"

"I'm fine," he growled as with one final push he freed his father. At once whatever strength he had drawn on to free John disappeared and he sank to his knees, as his vision blurred worse than ever as he struggled to breathe. Doggedly he clung to consciousness as he turned his mossy gaze on his shell-shocked father who was gazing at him with something akin to grief in his dark gaze. "I'm sorry that I wasn't the monster that you w-wanted be to be," he said softly, his voice slightly bitter as his eyes suddenly rolled up in his head..

"Sam," John moved towards his youngest as Sam finally succumbed to his injuries and exhaustion, his body collapsing limply among the rubble of what once had been the church roof.

Hesitantly John reached out and turned the teenager onto his back, his eyes flicking over the blank, uncaring face- taking in the healing, stitched gash, the black eye and the lines of pain and fear that he had put there.

"Oh Mary," he sighed. "What have I done to your baby?" For the first time since his first hunt following his wife's death he began to weep, his entire body shaking with raw anguish and pure guilt as he realised what his obsession had done to his family…. what he had done to his youngest….

SPN-SPN

Dean's fingers were raw and bleeding but his frenzied pace didn't cease as he fought to reach his sibling, he hadn't spoken to the other hunters- but in his mind he was silently praying to whatever greater power there was to let him find his sibling alive.

"SAMMY" He called again, not really expecting an answer.

"Dean, he's here," Dean's eyes darkened with fury as he heard his father's voice, and he immediately scrabbled up the rubble and peered through the gap they had managed to clear.

"Don't you dare touch him," he snarled as he saw his father sat before the broken remains of the cross that he had bound Sam to, with his brother sprawled limply in his lap.

"I won't," John responded. "But you need to get him out of here, he's not doing to well."

"Whose fault is that?" Dean growled as he cautiously began to slide down the rubble towards his brother, mistrustful of the sudden alteration to his father's attitude. John didn't respond and as Dean slid to a halt beside him he carefully backed away, allowing his eldest to pull Sam's limp body towards him. "Sammy," Dean said gently as he reached out and cautiously laid a hand on his brother's pale forehead, scowling at the unnatural heat that was beginning to radiate from it. "Oh Sammy," he whispered as he brushed some of his brother's unruly hair out of the way.

"Dean is he okay?" Caleb had appeared at the top of the rubble, his body tensing as he glared at John who was staring blindly at Sam and Dean.

"We need to get him out of here," Dean responded before he too turned to glare at his father. "Get the hell out of here," he snarled and John nodded as he began to limp towards freedom, however, as he began to ascend the rubble he paused and turned to look at Dean.

"I'm sorry son."

"I don't want to hear it," Dean refused to look at the man, wanting nothing more than to tear his father limb from limb but unwilling to relinquish his hold on his injured sibling.

Without another word John disappeared over the top of the rubble, leaving Dean alone with Sam.

"Hey Sammy," Dean said shakily. "Come on kiddo you can't leave me alone again. I know you won't want to come back, but we can't work everything out together you hear me? You're not alone this time." He blinked furiously as tears gathered in his eyes, and he forced himself to examine his brother's injuries as he waited for the others to help him get Sam to safety. Gently he ran his hand along his brother's abdomen and ribs, pressing gently as he searched for any hardness or breaks- concerned by the lack of response from Sam, as he knew that he had to be causing him some pain. Satisfied that there was nothing too life threatening, although several ribs felt to be cracked he turned his attention reluctantly to his brother's left hand. "Oh Sammy," he whispered as he gently drew the limb towards him, nausea rising as he took in the now useless appendage. Trying hard not to throw up or give in to his tears, he tore strips of his shirt and tenderly bound them around the new stumps to try and slow the blood loss.

The sound of falling material alerted him to Caleb's return, and he turned to look at the other hunter who was followed closely by Joshua.

"Jim and Bobby have taken care of John," Joshua said gruffly his eyes gleaming with anger and Dean nodded briefly before turning his gaze back to his brother- Sam was all that mattered now.

"C'mon Deuce let's get him to the house before the authorities turn up, I'm sure Sam can do without all that," Caleb said and Dean nodded blankly as he moved to help the other hunters lift his brother, hissing urgent warnings as he sought to prevent further injury to his sibling as they cautiously began to lift him to freedom.

SPN-SPN

Later that evening:

"Dean?" Pastor Jim asked cautiously as he hovered uncertainly in the doorway to the guest room, watching as Dean gently mopped his Sibling's flushed face with a damp cloth.

"Hey Jim," Dean responded wearily, not removing his gaze from Sam as his brother shifted restlessly on the bed- the bright red flush in his cheeks at stark contrast with his pale skin.

"How's he doing?"

"I don't know," Dean replied honestly and he briefly glanced at the older man who was struck by the raw emotion in the hazel eyes. "I think he might have been pushed too far this time."

"Sam's a fighter," Jim said as he gazed at the teenager with a sad look in his eyes. "He won't give up without a fight, and he's got you and us there to help him."

"Will that be enough though?"

"I hope so," was all that Jim could say, and he prayed that it would be because he knew that if they lost Sam then they would also lose Dean- the boys were too closely tied and the survival of one depended on the survival of the other.

"Have the police gone?" Dean asked after a moment of silence.

"For now, they've taken your father and the others into custody and your father has already admitted everything," Jim said, and Dean glanced at him in surprise and Jim just shrugged- he was as puzzled by John's sudden change as Dean was.

"What about the church?"

"Structural fault."

"I should never have triggered his telekinesis," Dean said guiltily as he gently touched his brother's face, frowning at the heat that was intensifying.

"You weren't to know what would happen," Jim said consolingly.

"I could have killed him," Dean's face was a mask of anguish as he glanced at the Pastor.

"Dean this wasn't your fault," Jim said sternly. "And Sam needs you to focus on the positive for now, because God knows he won't be able to for a while. You're going to need to be his strength." Dean nodded although the guilt didn't leave his eyes as he turned back to his brother.

"Come on Sammy," he murmured and Jim tactfully withdrew as Dean began to murmur softly to his brother, trying to draw his sibling back to him.

SPN-SPN.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or its characters.

A/N: Repost from my other account – please note this is unedited from the original version.

SPN-SPN

Two days later:

Dean yawned widely as he scrubbed a hand over his chin, frowning as he felt the stubble beneath his fingers. Pushing aside his exhaustion he turned his attention back to his sibling, his gaze become shadowed. Over the last two days Sam's fever had risen and fallen numerous times, and every time it started to climb Dean had prepared to dash to the hospital but with classic Winchester stubbornness Sam's temperature had dropped every time Dean had started to get ready to leave and Dean was content to keep Sam safe at Pastor Jim's. Particularly as the fever was wreaking havoc with Sam's telekinesis- he'd had to concede defeat and resort to candles after his brother had unconsciously shattered twelve light bulbs in a row; but that had been the least destructive incident and the occupants of the rectory had gotten used to mini-earthquakes over the last couple of days.

Stretching his stiff frame he shifted closer to Sam, his eyes narrowing as they focused on the clean white bandage hiding what was left of his brother's hand. A doctor friend of Jim's that knew about hunters and all things supernatural had been brought in to stitch up Sam's hand, and prescribed a series of antibiotics.

"Come on Sammy, I'm getting bored talking to myself all the time," he mock grumbled as he ran a gentle had through his brothers sweat-drenched hair, making a mental note to clean his brother up as soon as possible.

"Dea…" the weak whisper made him scoot impossibly closer to his little brother, a smile spreading across his face as his brother's eyes inched reluctantly open, the mossy orbs being the most beautiful thing he had seemed for quite a while.

"Hey there little man," Dean quipped, hiding his relief over his brother's stirring behind his customary humour as he watched Sam's confused gaze move idly around the room before returning to Dean.

"Am I dying?" Sam's blunt question caught Dean by surprise and he blinked stupidly at him for a moment before frowning.

"Huh? No Sam you're not dying, you're a bit battered but nothing we can't fix," he said- _I hope_ he added silently as he risked a glance at his brother's injured hand..

"Then why are the candles lit?" Sam's brow was creased with confusion and Dean had to stifle a chuckle as he realised what his brother meant- his mind drifting back to when a six-year old Sammy had come home from school to declare that candles were lit for people who were going to heaven so that they could find their way.

"'Cos your little 'gift' doesn't like light bulbs," Dean's laughter died as he saw the confusion in Sam's eyes and he cursed himself as he saw the feverish glaze to his brother's mossy eyes- Sam clearly wasn't playing with a full set at the moment and he most certainly wasn't up to a dose of Dean's sense of humour. "Don't worry about it kiddo," he said as he started to run his hand through his brother's hair once more, smiling as the motion soothed Sam and his eyes started to fall shut once more. "Sleep Sammy," he cooed softly as Sam's breathing evened out once more, his hand not stopping as he sought to comfort himself as much as his sibling.

SPN

"Let me go," John Winchester growled furiously as he glared at the detective that was watching him unperturbed by his temper.

"Mr. Winchester, we already have a signed statement from you stating what you did to your sons," the detective said patiently, he had been having the same argument with the man for the past hour.

"I never signed any statement," John said firmly. "You're holding me here under false pretences, now release me." The last was said as a demand and the detective sighed, vaguely disturbed by the level of fury showing in the previously quiet, grief-stricken man who had been torn apart by guilt and he frowned.

"Excuse me a minute," he said courteously as he rose and quickly left the room, glancing back to see John quietly clenching his fists as he stared blankly at the wall his eyes dark. The detective carefully closed the door and turned his attention to the two men who had been watching the 'interview' through the one-way window. "As you can see his behaviour has altered considerably since when we brought him in."

Bobby sighed as he glanced through the window at the oldest Winchester, his heart aching for the man even as his thoughts turned to the two boys back at Jim's wondering how they would cope with the latest development. Scowling with concern he turned his gaze back to the detective and the court-appointed psychiatrist.

"What will happen to him?" He asked gruffly.

"For now I think we'll have to take him into hospital for a full assessment, and it seems likely that we'll have to keep him there for an indefinite amount of time," the psychiatrist replied and Bobby nodded sadly as he turned his gaze back to John who had begun to pace around the little interview room, and he shivered slightly at the look in the man's eyes.

"Thanks for your help," he said after a minute. "I'd best be getting back to the boys, Dean should know what's happening with his Daddy."

"How's the youngest?" the Detective asked- he had met the oldest son but he hadn't been allowed near the youngest yet as he was 'recovering'- but the detective was concerned by the oldest brother's refusal to allow the youngest into hospital but he understood that after what had happened the youngest one needed to be somewhere he felt safe.

"Recovering slowly, he hasn't said anything yet," Bobby said, tactfully deciding not to mention that Sam had yet to regain consciousness.

"Well let me know when he's ready to talk," the detective said and Bobby nodded briefly before retreating, his mind on the heavy news he had to tell Dean as he prayed that it wouldn't upset the lad who was barely holding on as he waited for is brother to wake up.

SPN-SPN

Sam woke again several hours later to find Dean still sat beside him with a warm smile on his face as he met Sam's sleepy gaze.

"Hey," he said hoarsely and almost immediately Dean was pressing a cup of cool water to his lips and cautioning him to take small sips. After a few sips he felt his stomach start to churn and he drew his head back in alarm as he struggled to quell the nausea; dreading what Dean would say if he vomited all over him..

"Easy Sammy," Dean said softly, pleased to see that his brother's eyes were more aware this time but still concerned by the unnatural paleness in his sibling's face as he gently settled his brother down once more. "How are you feeling?" He asked anxiously as his eyes flicked briefly to the black-eye gracing his brother's face.

"Sore," Sam said honestly and Dean nodded in sympathy, there were very few parts of his brother's body that wasn't either bruised or injured. "Dad?" Sam's gaze held equal parts fear and concern as he gazed at his big brother, his body curling in on itself as he recalled what had happened…what his father had done to him yet again.

"The Police have him," Dean replied and then he sighed as he cautiously met his brother's pained gaze. "I'm sorry that I let him get you," he added, his voice heavy with guilt as he forced himself not to look away from his brother.

"Not your fault," Sam mumbled instantly, and his eyes were bright with sincerity as he looked at Dean and Dean inclined his head slightly in acceptance of his brother's words although he wasn't sure he truly believed them. "I'm the o-one that rushed back here."

"Yeah, remind me to kick your ass for that at some point," Dean retorted and smirked as his brother let out a small huff of amusement which faded almost at once, and Dean watched as his sibling suddenly turned his head to gaze at his heavily bandaged hand- hating the desolation and look of self-loathing that filled his brother's eyes as he realised what had happened. "Shh Sammy," he said as tears began to roll down his sibling's face, and as a choked whimper escaped from Sam he cautiously drew his brother's battered body into an embrace feeling his own heart break as Sam began to sob in earnest, his body trembling as he pressed himself against Dean in a desperate attempt to find some modicum of comfort.

All Dean could do was cradle his sibling against him and whisper small words of encouragement and affection as he gently rocked the teenager. He didn't even respond as the room started to shake violently, knowing that his brother needed the release otherwise it would just fester. However, the shaking had disturbed Sam and he tried to break away from Dean in panic.

"No, no, no," he cried as he recalled what he had done in the church- how close he'd come to hurting those he cared for and his breath hitched violently in his chest.

"No Sammy don't do this," Dean said as soon as he felt his brother tense and begin to pant heavily, ignoring his sibling's panicked struggles he drew Sam back to him. Making sure that Sam could see what he was doing, he then reached out to draw the injured hand to him and he gently took hold of it, his eyes never leaving Sam's moist ones. "This is nothing okay? It's just like the telekinesis; it doesn't define who you are. Now calm down and breathe, in and out, in and out," he coached as he gently held his brother's hand in one hand, whilst the other rubbed circles across his brother's back.

"I could've killed you," Sam's whisper was full of anguish, his mossy eyes full of tears as he struggled to control his breathing.

"You didn't," Dean said firmly. "You didn't hurt anyone, and it was my fault anyway because I triggered it."

"He was going to hurt you," Sam whispered as he suddenly slumped against Dean who tightened his grip on his sibling.

"I know Sammy, I know. You did good kiddo," Dean said softly- silently damning his father to the worst possible type of hell for what he had done to Sam- as he continued to gently rock his brother as Sam slowly got his breathing back under control. "See," he added a moment later when he realised the shaking had stopped. "No damage," he added as cheerfully as he could, choosing not to mention the fresh dampness leaking through his shirt and Sam buried his face in it.

SPN

Unbeknownst to the two boys Jim stood in the doorway watching the exchange having come running in response to the violent shaking, and his face was troubled as he watched Dean struggle to anchor the shattered teenager cradled in his arms, trying to pull his little brother back from the brink. His heart going out to the two boys that were clinging tightly to one another as they attempted to face what had happened, and he prayed that they would be strong enough together to overcome the after effects of what had been done to them.

"Please God," he whispered in anguish.

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	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or its characters.

A/N: Repost from my other account – please note this is unedited from the original version.

SPN-SPN

After an indefinite period of time Dean felt his brother quieting in his embrace, although periodic tremors continued to worm their way through Sam's body as he slumped against Dean clearly exhausted.

"Hey kiddo shall we get you back into bed?" Dean suggested after a few minutes, and Sam nodded slightly as he shifted to gaze up at his brother with sleepy green eyes that were rimmed with red. Meeting his brother's gaze Dean silently traced the tear trails that stood out vividly against the flushed cheeks, frowning slightly he reached out and brushed a gentle hand across Sam's forehead. "Your temperature's up again Sammy," he said with a sigh.

"Too hot," Sam mumbled and Dean's frown deepened as he carefully shifted his brother back across onto the bed. "Sorry Dean," Sam murmured as he buried his head into the pillow, a sure sign that he wasn't feeling well.

"Shhh Sammy just try to get some sleep," Dean said, he was still reeling from his brother's breakdown and he feared what would come unguarded from Sam's lips if he was allowed to talk in his current condition.

"M'sorry," Sam repeated as he tilted his head so that he could peer at Dean with one eye.

"What for?" Dean asked reluctantly as he realised that Sam was not going to rest until he had said whatever was bothering him.

"Everything," Sam whispered. "Losing mom, leaving you, Dad…and now this," the last bit was said bitterly as he raised his now-useless left hand.

"Oh Sammy," Dean sighed- he had known that the breakdown had not eased his brother's worries and he feared the look of self-loathing that had leaked back into his brother's face. "You have nothing, nothing whatsoever to be sorry for kiddo. We've just had a run of bad luck, nothing more. Now no more of this apologizing stuff okay? Otherwise I'll have to kick your ass."

"But…"

"But nothing," Dean said cutting across Sam's protest. "I'm the older, more handsome brother so I know best."

"Jerk," Sam's retort was unexpected and Dean smirked despite the seriousness of the conversation and his concern over his brother.

"Bitch," he responded. "Now try and get some rest."

"Not tired," Sam mumbled grumpily as he yawned widely before reburying his head, appearing to accept Dean's words at least for now much to Dean's relief.

"Sure you aren't," Dean replied with a small chuckle as he gently pulled the covers up over his sibling before laying a soft hand on his brother's shoulder, a small sigh escaping as his brother moved into his touch. Once he was certain that Sam had drifted off to sleep once more he cautiously got to his feet and stretched stiffly, spinning in alarm as a small sound came from the doorway- relaxing slightly as he saw Jim standing their watching him with a sad expression on his face.

SPN

"Hey Jim," he said softly as he moved across to the pastor, glancing back at his sibling before stepping out of the door.

"How is he?" The Pastor asked as he peered in at the now sleeping Sam before turning to look at Dean, noticing the pain and worry in the usually shuttered eyes of the oldest Winchester boy.

"Not good," Dean replied honestly, he guessed that the pastor had witnessed quite a lot of Sam's breakdown so he didn't bother to elaborate as he turned back to watch his sibling as he shifted restlessly on the bed. " I don't know how to help him, words aren't enough." He added, hating to admit that he didn't know how to help his brother- feeling like he was failing his job of protecting his brother.

"He'll let you know what he needs, and until then just being there will help him," Jim said kindly, and Dean flashed him a worn smile of gratitude that vanished nearly immediately.

"I still don't know how dad could hurt him."

"I do," a new voice said and the two men turned to find Bobby walking quietly towards them, his expression solemn.

"What?" Dean asked with a frown, privately scared of what his friend was about to say about his father and concerned by the grave look in the hunters eyes as he gazed at Dean for a minute before replying.  
>"Your daddy's ill," he said bluntly and Dean's frown deepened with consternation. "The police called me because they'd had to bring in a court psychiatrist to see him, and they needed one of us there."<p>

"And?" Dean demanded, not likely where this conversation was going and he glanced anxiously at Sam to check that he was still asleep.

"They're going to admit him to the psych ward at the hospital under guard until they can carry out a full assessment, but they seem to think that he's going to be in there for a while," Bobby explained watching as the colour drained from Dean's face and his eyes became shuttered as he struggled to accept what Bobby was saying.

"What about if he escapes?" Dean asked as he looked once more at his brother, sighing as the bedside cabinet rattled as his brother shifted on the bed.

"If he requires long term care they'll move him to a secure centre for Sam's protection, and yours," Bobby replied and Dean nodded.

"Can you watch Sammy?" He asked abruptly and both Bobby and Jim nodded, with a brief nod of gratitude he headed for the stairs- keen to find some privacy so that his mind could grasp what was happening.

SPN

He headed out of the rectory, his eyes drifting briefly to the Church where he'd nearly lost his brother before he turned and made a beeline for the impala. The interior of the car was cool when he slid into the driver's seat, and he relaxed back into the leather seats as he soaked in the scent of his baby. He gazed blankly out of the window, his mind drifting from one chaotic thought to another.

"Damn it," he snapped as he slammed a fist down on the dashboard. It had been easy to hate his father for what he had done to Sammy- easy to identify him as the threat that Dean had to protect his brother from…but Bobby's news had stripped away the simplicity of the situation and Dean was floundering in confusion. But had it really changed anything? He wondered as his gaze shifted back to the church; sure if his father was ill then it meant that he had not been in control when he went after Sam- but it didn't mean that his father was no longer a threat. Sam still needed to be protected from him, and Dean felt another part of him break as he realised that if his father was as bad as the doctors and Bobby seemed to think then Sam would never be safe around him- that his family was now truly divided. However, despite the pain that, that though caused Dean knew without a doubt that his place- and the only place that he would ever choose was by his brother's side. Just thinking about going through life as he had for the four years without his geeky sibling made him shiver…no, no matter what happened with their father his place was with Sam.

Feeling slightly calmer, and needing to be with his sibling he exited the car…wondering how he was going to let his little brother know about the latest development, and praying that Sam would not try to blame himself for yet another thing that was not his fault and yet knowing that Sam would. Sighing deeply he headed back to the rectory, feeling a surge of worry as he stepped through the door and felt the entire building shuddering violently.

"Sammy," he called as he bolted up the stairs, ignoring Caleb and Joshua who had appeared from the kitchen in response to the no-doubt psychically triggered trembling. Taking the stairs two at a time he cursed himself for leaving his sibling, and he felt his gut clenched as he charged into the guestroom where Bobby and Jim were struggling to try and rouse Sam. A quick glance at his sibling's pained but otherwise blank expression told Dean all he needed to know, and he moved quickly to his brother's side effectively pushing the hunters aside.

"He's having a vision," he said curtly as he sat on the shaking bed and pulled his unresponsive brother into his lap.

"How long will it las…?" Bobby's question trailed off as Sam moaned weakly and blinked, and awareness and fear flowed back into his mossy eyes as the shaking stopped.

"Hey Sammy," Dean murmured softly as he brushed his brother's bangs out of his eyes, feeling the unnatural heat that was still rising from his sibling who was gazing at him fearfully. "What did you see kiddo?" He asked warily, not wanting to distress his sibling but needing to know if Sam was in any danger.

"Nursery…Fire….the demon's going to mark another baby," Sam managed to force the words out, his green eyes alight with pain and fear and Dean's fingers clenched as he looked up to stare at Jim and Bobby. _Oh Crap!_ He thought…..

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	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or its characters.

A/N: Repost from my other account – please note this is unedited from the original version.

SPN-SPN

"Easy Sammy," Dean said soothingly as he gently clenched his brother's shoulder as he felt the tremors that had returned to his brother's body, carefully schooling his expression to hide his own emotions.

"Dean…hurts," Sam mumbled distractedly and Dean leant forward to peer into his brother's face, scowling at the increased brightness of the flush gracing Sam's otherwise pale face and the lack of focus in the mossy green eyes that instinctively sought his face. Tentively he felt his brother's head and gasped at the heat that now rose from Sam's skin, cursing as he realised that the vision had only caused his brother's condition both emotional and physical to deteriorate.

"Jim could you run him a bath? We need to get his temperature down," he said glancing up at the Pastor, marvelling at the steadiness of his voice when he felt ready to explode. The Pastor nodded before hastily heading out of the door a look of concern on his face.

"I'll see if I can find any demonic signs," Bobby said a second later and Dean nodded with relief, knowing that his brother would need to know that something at least had come from his vision even if they could not stop the demon…which was a very distinct possibility at the moment, because Dean and probably the other four hunters would not leave Sam in his current condition.

"Hey Sammy, how are you feeling?" He asked as he refocused on his brother, and the pained look his sibling gave him told him all he needed to know. "Like crap huh, well we'll get you in that bath and try and bring your fever down alright?"

"'Kay," Sam responded faintly and Dean wondered how much of the exchange his brother had actually understood.

"Dean," Jim had returned and was hovering in the doorway.

"Bath time Sammy," Dean said as cheerfully as he could as he slipped out from under Sam, silently waving away Jim's help as the pastor stepped forward to help. Gently Dean scooped his brother into his arms, once again shocked by how skinny and light his brother had become. "As soon as you get better kiddo I'm going to stuff you full of all the junk food I can find," he told his barely conscious sibling as he headed for the bathroom with Jim following.

SPN

Sam regained some awareness as Dean gently lowered him into the lukewarm bath, whimpering as the water came into contact with his burning skin.

"Easy Sammy," Dean repeated as he held his feebly struggling brother in the water, wincing as several bottles went flying and the toilet seat banged shut in response to his brother's distress.

"No Dean," Sam whimpered, his gaze wild and confused and seemingly unable to focus on anything as he continued to strain against his brother's gentle but strong grip; hot tears leaking down his face.

"Shh," Dean cooed softly as he used one hand to gently pour the water over Sam's contorted body, wishing desperately that he could take the pain away. Slowly his brother's struggles ceased as Sam slumped against the bath in exhaustion, although tears continued to escape as his eyes drifted shut only to spring open once more as though he was afraid to go asleep. "Rest Sammy," Dean commanded softly as he continued to pour water over Sam, and after a few more minutes Sam obeyed- completely worn out from the vision, the fever and his recent struggles in the bath.

"Here," Jim said as he handed Dean a thermometer, watching anxiously as the older boy carefully inserted into Sam's ear and waited impatiently for the beep.

"101.8 now," Dean reported after he checked the device, he didn't like to think what Sam's temperature had been prior to the bath if it was that high after being submerged in cold water. "I'll get him back to bed in a few minutes."

"If it goes up you might have to take him to the hospital," Jim said as ran a practiced eye over the youngest Winchester.

"I hope it doesn't come to that, there's no saying what his 'abilities' would do in that environment," Dean said at one…._Plus Dad's at the hospital_ he added silently, although from the understanding look the pastor gave him the other hunter was all too aware of his concerns.

"If you can manage with him I'll go and help the others."

"We'll be fine," Dean replied as he gently stroked his brother's wet bangs away from his face, a small smile on his face as he remembered all the passionate arguments about Sam getting his 'mop' cut. With a small nod Jim tactfully withdrew, knowing that it was as beneficial for Dean as it was for Sam for the older brother to take care of Sam; once again astounded by the depth of the bond shared by the boys- a bond that had prevailed through the four years they'd been apart.

SPN-SPN

Sam had remained asleep as Dean had dried him and carefully redressed him before taking him back to bed, for which Dean was grateful if not slightly concerned. He couldn't wait until his brother was back on his feet, and back in the shotgun position of his Impala so that they could get as far away from Blue Earth and the events that had happened here as possible. But he knew that it was going to be a while before that particular fantasy could come true…Sam needed to recover and put some much needed wait on and they had to reach some form of closure over their father, although how he had no idea.

"God this is a mess," he muttered as he carefully tucked the blankets around his brother, unable to resist gently removing the semi-dry bangs from his brother's face. "At least I've got you," he said to his brother, glad that his brother wasn't awake to witness his chick flickyness but he knew that he wouldn't refute the words even if his brother were awake. "Well I'd better go and check on the others, I'm surprised Caleb and Joshua haven't been at each other's throats yet. Must be your good influence." He joked as he left the room quickly; keen to return as swiftly as possible in case his brother woke to an empty room.

SPN

He wasn't surprised to find Caleb and Joshua bickering good-naturedly as they made use of Jim's ancient computer, each jostling for control over the device and digging at one another with sharp words. Bobby and Jim were a complete contrast as they sat on the sofa surrounded by piles of books, with looks of deep concentration on their faces.

"Hey guys," he said quietly as he wandered into the living room, smirking at Joshua as Caleb took advantage of the distraction to gain control of the computer.

"How's Sam?" Bobby asked as he looked up from the book that he was reading, his eyes anxious.

"Sleeping, I'm going to go back to him in a minute. Have you found anything?" Dean asked hopefully.

"Nothing that leaps out, it'd help if we knew where to look," the older hunter admitted with a weary sigh as he rubbed tiredly at his hand and Dean sighed, he'd hoped they'd find something swiftly so that he could give Sam some peace of mind.

"We'll keep looking," Jim promised as he saw the disappointment in Dean's eyes, and Dean nodded slightly as he forced a strained smile.

"Thanks for...you know doing all this and putting us up," he said awkwardly.

"You and Sam are always welcome here," the pastor said as he waved away the thanks, and Dean ducked his head in minor embarrassment at the vehemence in the pastor's voice.

"Well thanks anyway," he repeated. "I'm going to go check on Sammy," he said and doubled back the way he'd come.

He bounded up the stairs two at a time, keen to return to his brother's side as he recalled what had happened last time he'd left his brother alone. At least this time his brother had been doubly exhausted so unless heaven-forbid another vision struck his brother shouldn't stir again… all thoughts trailed off as he stepped into the bedroom…the empty bedroom.

"Sammy," he whispered as he stared blankly at the bed which was empty save for a pile of crumpled blankets. "Damn it Sammy where are you?" He yelled louder this time as the shock wore off and he realised that his sibling had just disappeared…again…

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	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or its characters.

A/N: Repost from my other account – please note this is unedited from the original version.

SPN-SPN

_Previously:_

"Sammy," he whispered as he stared blankly at the bed, which was empty save for a pile of crumpled blankets. "Damn it Sammy where are you?" He yelled louder this time as the shock wore off and he realised that his sibling had just disappeared…again…

SPN

When Sam opened his eyes he found that he was alone in the guest bedroom, swallowing hard to contain his sudden nausea he cautiously sat up in bed. He felt awful. Blinking wearily he gazed around the room, idly wondering where his brother was…the last thing he remembered was the vision and blurting out what he'd seen to his brother…he wondered how long ago that had been…

"Dean," he whispered hoarsely, he really didn't feel well and now the images from his visions were flashing through the cotton wool in his mind in continual replay. Unsteadily he slipped out of bed, wavering as dizziness swept over him and the room swung in circles around him. "N't good," He muttered as he slowly steadied himself. Swaying drunkenly he made his way towards the door…keen to find his brother.

"Dean," he called faintly as he entered the hallway, clumsily leaning against the wall for support as fresh dizziness threatened to fell him. He frowned in confusion when there was no response to his call…where was Dean? Shaking his head irritably to try and rid himself of the annoying mist that was trying to accumulate he moved towards the stairs, mumbling in annoyance as the hall seemed to sway and spin around him.

"Stop moving," he growled as he reached a trembling hand up to his aching head.

Somehow he managed to navigate the stairs, leaning heavily on the banister for support and confused by how breathless such movement had left him. At the bottom he had to rest for a moment, and as he leant against the wall everything faded into darkness for a second…with a low groan he came to and glanced round with increased confusion…why was he alone? Where were Dean and the others? And why was he downstairs? As he struggled to work out what was happening the images from his vision began to replay in his mind, making him feel nauseous.

"No more fire," he mumbled to himself and with a huge effort he headed for the kitchen and the back door- he didn't know where the other hunters were but if they weren't going to do anything to stop his vision then he would have to.

He almost turned back as he tripped unsteadily over the back doorstep, his brain pounding with increasing intensity as he stumbled. However, his classic Winchester stubbornness chose to kick in at that moment and he forged onwards…noting with a distant sense of humour that his stumbling walk made it look like he was drunk. The teenager's resolve was strengthened as the church came into sight, and his eyes widened as he took in the damage that he could vaguely recall causing- he had to make things right…he couldn't be the burden his dad claimed he was.

"Dad," He mumbled to himself- of course his dad would know where to look for the demon and how to tell where the nursery fire was going to be. The only problem was that his father was unlikely to help him. "Got to try," he told himself sternly, not caring that he was talking aloud to himself.

He debated briefly as to whether to take a car but seen, as he was barely capable of staying awake and upright it wasn't a good idea to drive.

"Sorry girl," he said as he awkwardly patted the Impala before heading slowly up the drive, wobbling unsteadily.

SPN-SPN

The four hunters shot to their feet when they heard Dean's panicked cry, and hurried into the hall as the oldest Winchester boy came hurtling down the stairs his face a mask of worry.

"Have you seen Sammy?" He demanded at once, releasing an inarticulate cry as they shook their heads in bafflement.

"Isn't he upstairs?" Jim asked- concerned by the fact that Dean was teetering on the edge of a full meltdown.

"He's gone," Dean replied shortly and his eyes widened suddenly. "The Church!" He exclaimed before bolting for the back door with the other hunters following at once; the back door was open and Dean glanced at it briefly before shooting through it- knowing that his brother had come this way.

"SAMMY! SAM YOU IDJIT GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE NOW!" He hollered as he headed for the church, however, his worried and impatient demands received no reply and his fear increased another notch- Sam hadn't come to the church.

"Dean! Dean!" Jim had to call several times to break through to Dean. "We'll have a look round for him, don't worry he can't have got far," he said reassuringly, but Dean shook his head despairingly.

"He disappeared for four bloody years Jim," he said frantically. " He could do that again, and he's ill!"

"We'll find him," Jim repeated sternly, not looking away until Dean gave a slight, albeit reluctant nod- he wanted to believe the pastor but his hopes had been dashed so many times in the search for his brother that he couldn't bear the thought of going through that again. If Sam had disappeared again then Dean would not be able to cope- Sam was his anchor, his sanity in their crazy world and Dean could not lose that…not now, not after hunting for four years just to reclaim it.

"Sammy," he whispered in anguish, staring blankly at the ruins of the church as the other hunters spread out to search for his sibling.

SPN-SPN

By the time Sam had managed to make it halfway along the road to Blue Earth he was regretting his decision to leave the rectory, especially alone. Already the pain from his throbbing head and battered body had forced him to his knees with dry heaves, as his empty stomach tried to empty what wasn't there to expel. Now he was moving at a snails pace, barely upright as his head and vision grew increasingly blurry and the nausea kept threatening to send him to his knees once more. He wanted his brother…Dean had always been the one to take care of him when he was ill and he really didn't feel very well.

"Dean," he whimpered piteously as he suddenly slumped down onto the verge, admitting that he couldn't go any further and wanting nothing more than to curl up in bed and go to sleep. So preoccupied was he with the idea of finding Dean and going back to bed that he didn't notice the car pull up next to him.

"Kid? Hey Kid are you okay?" The anxious voice broke through his fevered thoughts and he looked up, blinking wildly as the speakers face slowly came into focus…albeit hazily.

"Mmm… M'Okay," he said after a long moments hesitation, frowning as he stared up at the man who was staring at him in concern- the voice sounded familiar. However, his interest and attention quickly waned as he turned his thoughts back to Dean. "Dean," he mumbled to himself.

"Do you mean Dean Winchester?" The man asked making Sam jump, he had forgotten all about the man and then he frowned- how did the man know his brother? He really wished his head would stop pounding, he couldn't focus properly.

"Dean," he repeated with a small nod that sent a spike of pain through his head causing him to sway wildly. The man reached out and steadied him and Sam pulled away in panic as he felt the unfamiliar touch- his fevered mind immediately leaping to his father. " No Dad let me go," he cried weakly and at once the grip was loosened somewhat.

"Kid, kid can you look at me?" Something in the anxious voice made him obey and blurrily he looked up into the man's face. "Are you Sam? Sam Winchester?"

"Present," Sam replied slowly as he waved his injured arm in an uncoordinated manner.

"Okay, how about I take you back to your brother? I think he'll be worried sick about you," the man said and Sam shook his head at that idea and the man sighed. " Look Sam, I'm Detective Hamilton I've been working on your father's case and I'm on my way to see Dean anyway."

"'Kay," Sam mumbled, not really understanding what the man was saying but content in the knowledge he was being taken to his brother. No other words were exchanged as the detective carefully assisted the teenager to his feet, quickly altering his stance to support Sam as he nearly collapsed and carefully leading the boy to his car- he was going to strongly suggest that Sam was taken to the hospital…

SPN-SPN

Dean was startled back into reality by the sound of a car coming up the rectory driveway and he turned away from the church, his eyes narrowing as he recognized the car as Detective Hamilton's.

"Damn it," he growled but his protest died as he saw who was sat in the passenger seat…or leant to be more precise. "Sammy," he yelled as he began to run towards the car, wondering where on earth his brother had got to if the detective had found him.

"Dean," the Detective said urgently as he climbed out of the car to meet the anxious Winchester- one look at Dean's face had quashed any concerns he'd had that Sam was being forced to forego medical aid as the older brother was clearly worried for his sibling. " He needs to be in hospital, I think he's delirious," the detective said and Dean's look of concern deepened as he headed for the passenger door which he opened carefully before crouching down beside his sibling.

"Sammy?" He asked shakily as he took his brother's flushed and sweaty face, and he was rewarded with two green slits that looked at him blankly.

"De…" His brother's pained whisper broke his heart, and his concern increased as he took his brother's breathlessness.

"Can you call an ambulance?" Dean asked as he glanced at the detective who nodded at once, moving off to place the call as Dean refocused on his brother. "You scared me half to death Sammy, what were you thinking taking off like that?" There was no heat or anger in his voice because he knew that his brother was in no condition for such emotions.

"Dea…So…" Sam's attempt to apologize was cut off suddenly and his body began to jerk uncontrollably.

"Help!" Dean yelled without thinking, his eyes widening with horror and terror as he stared at his brother and not knowing how to help…

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	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or its characters.

A/N: Repost from my other account – please note this is unedited from the original version.

SPN-SPN

Dean was not a patient man at the best of times, but when it came to anything concerning his brother his patience levels slipped below zero. He was pacing backwards and forwards across the ER waiting room, his eyes constantly returning to the door that his brother had been taken through over an hour ago- tensing every time they opened only to sigh when no one called his name.

Deep inside behind his mask of stoicism Dean was terrified, his mind constantly replaying Sam's seizure and the way his brother's gangly frame had twitched and jerked for several minutes before Sam had become limp and still- and then the anxious drive to the hospital.

"Dean," he whirled around and sighed as he came face to face with Jim and Bobby who were both looking anxiously.

"Any word?" Bobby asked and Dean silently shook his head as his anxious gaze returned to the doors as he resumed his jittery pacing, whilst the two older hunters chose to let him be and settled in chairs nearby much to his relief. He knew they were just as worried about Sam as he was, but he couldn't bear to hear their reassurances that his sibling would be okay- he needed to see Sam for that. He needed to see Sam was okay, and apologize for leaving him alone. He needed his brother full stop. Without a Sam there wasn't a Dean.

SPN

Sam whimpered as he clawed his way back into consciousness, feeling his entire body ignite with pain and flames.

"Dean," he whispered through the pain- wanting his big brother to make it all go away like he had when they were kids.

"Sam? Sam can you hear me?" An unfamiliar but kind voice asked and Sam panicked at once, drawing his body in on itself despite the pain the movement caused as he began to struggle.

"Dean! He cried in fear as he struggled against the strange hands trying to hold him in place as he opened his eyes in alarm, his vision blurry as he tried to battle his way free. "DDEEEAAANNN!" He hollered as his breathing began to tighten up again, coming in short, sharp pants that shook his battered torso.

Dean had frozen as he had heard his brother's voice coming from the ER filled with fear, however, the second holler had sent him bounding through the doors and to his brother's side before any of the staff could stop him. He growled as he saw the nurses and doctor struggling to restrain his clearly terrified brother, and without preamble he pushed through them- conveniently shoving them away from his sibling at the same time.

"Sammy," he said gently as he reached his brother, ignoring the startled staff as he grasped his brother's hand- his eyes quickly noting the IV and various machines that his brother was linked to and feeling a surge of relief as he realised his brother's struggles hadn't disconnected any. "Hey Sammy," he repeated as he waited for Sam's increasingly feeble struggles to stop, watching as his siblings confused mossy-green eyes met his gaze and feeling his chest tighten at the terror he saw there.

"Dean?"

"The one and only kiddo," Dean said jokingly as he unconsciously rubbed circles on Sam's hand with his thumb, seeking to comfort his sibling.

"Sir? You can't be here," the doctor, said as he approached somewhat cautiously, looking rather worried as Dean glared scathingly at him.

"I'm staying with him, he's been through enough already," Dean said, there was no anger in his voice but a firmness that told the doctor that he was not going to budge for anyone. The doctor hesitated for a long moment, noting how his patient had calmed and was clutching tightly to the older man's hand as though it was a lifeline and with a sigh he nodded his compliance.

"Fine, but don't get in the way," the doctor said and Dean nodded, silently snorting as he eyed the doctor- he was definitely not a doctor Dean was going to get on with but as long as Sam was taken care of then Dean would hold his peace. A quick sideways glance at said boy, showed him that Sam had drifted off again although his grip on Dean remained constant.

"I'll be good," he responded and the doctor frowned as he moved to the opposite side of the bed to continue his interrupted examination of the feverish teenager on the bed.

"What happened to him?" The doctor asked, as he discovered the heavily bruised torso and noting the fading black eyes and the heavily bandaged left hand.

"He took a fall a week or so ago, and he was attacked a couple of days ago," Dean replied, unwilling to explain the whole mentally unstable- demon hunting- father angle to this pompous upstart of a doctor.

"Was he checked out at the time?"

"He was seen by a doctor after the attack- he sorted the hand and put Sam on some antibiotics, but that's it," Dean answered, tensing slightly as the doctor moved on to Sam's injured hand and began to remove the bandage- fighting the urge to look away he forced himself to watch as the mutilated limb was revealed. He heard the doctor gasp, and he felt a wave of anguish as he saw that a couple of the fresh wounds on the hand were red and raw looking.

"Someone did this to him?"

"Our Dad," Dean replied shortly.

"Some of these wounds are long-healed," the doctor sounded suspicious and Dean caught him eyeing him warily.

"Two were done a couple of years ago, the others were done in the attack. Is that what's causing the fever?" Dean demanded, determined that the information flow was not going to be a one-way street.

"Possibly, it looks as though there may be something in one of the wounds. I'll send your brother for an x-ray, and until then we'll start him on some stronger antibiotics and keep the saline running as he is suffering from dehydration," the doctor replied and Dean nodded, his gaze returning to Sam as the teenager shifted uneasily on the bed, the fever clearly still present.

"What about the seizure?"

"There appears to be no lasting damage although we will run tests once we have brought the fever down, although it would appear the seizure has helped in that area as his temperature is below seizure level now," the doctor replied before withdrawing to order the necessary tests and to give the brothers some time alone.

SPN-SPN

John Winchester glowered at the doctor standing next to his bed, his dark eyes fierce with barely contained anger and hatred as he listened to the man rambling on about assessments, mental stability and possible long term treatment- wondering what planet the man came from.

"Will you just shut up," he growled finally and the doctor froze, startled by his patient's sudden outburst after being given the silent treatment since the patient's admittance.

"John you do understand why you are here don't you?"

"Not really, as I explained to the police I don't have a clue what you're all on about," John snapped angrily and the doctor sighed heavily, sensing that he was going to have trouble with this patient.

"John you signed a confession regarding the unprovoked attack on your children, and the torture of your youngest," the doctor explained and John's expression darkened at the mention of his youngest child.

"That little brat is a demon," he snarled. "He killed his mother, he tore my beloved Mary away from me and Dean and now he's continuing to wreck our lives."

"John, you're wife died in a tragic accident when Samuel was 6 months old, how could your son have been involved?" The doctor asked- he had been filled in on the family's history- the death of the mother, the constant moving, and evidence of past brushes with the CPS over unexplained injuries to the children and the shocking confession of the torture of the youngest boy.

"I told you he's a demon," John hissed.

"Alright John I'm going to give you some time to calm down and rest before we start your assessment," the doctor said, suddenly eager to get away from the man as John gazed at him with dark eyes and with those words he hastily withdrew- sighing with relief as he increased the distance between himself and his patient.

SPN

John waited until the doctor was out of sight before slipping out of the bed and making a beeline for the door, he didn't have the time to mess around with rules and regulations and annoying doctors. He had to get Dean away from Sam before it was too late to save his eldest. The ward was supposedly a closed ward, but to a trained hunter such as John the locked and alarmed door posed nothing more than a minor hindrance that with some hasty rewiring and a stolen paper clip was quickly overcome.

Without hesitation he trotted off into the hospital, blending in with the numerous patients and staff moving around the corridors as he sought the exit, keen to find his truck and get down to the hunt. His mind drifting briefly to the look of pure hatred his oldest had sent him last time they'd seen each other, but he hastily quashed any doubts he had that Dean would come back to him when Sam was out of the way. Dean was loyal and obedient…he'd knuckled down once Sam was gone. With fresh determination he glanced up at a sign and turned on to the corridor for the ER knowing that he had more chance of slipping out that way if anyone was looking for him already.

SPN-SPN


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or its characters.

A/N: Repost from my other account – please note this is unedited from the original version.

SPN-SPN

Dean shot to his feet as the nurses pushed his brother back into the cubicle, his eyes showing his anxiety as he smiled tightly at the nurses before turning his attention to his sleeping sibling. Sam's skin was as pale as the sheets around him, save for the bright red flush on his cheeks that spoke of the fever running freely through his body. As soon as the nurses withdrew he moved to Sam's side and gently took Sam's uninjured hand in his own- noting that the other hand had been lightly bandaged.

"Excuse me," Dean suppressed a groan as the doctor stepped into the cubicle, once again experiencing a wave of dislike for the man.

"What did the x-ray show?" He asked anxiously, as he glanced at Sam who mumbled incoherently for a moment before settling.

"Well there's nothing obvious in the wounds, however, we are going to open the wounds and clean them as it is possible that dirt has gotten inside and is causing the infection," the doctor replied and his smug tone made Dean grit his teeth to prevent himself lashing out verbally, for Sam's sake he couldn't get himself thrown out- his brother would panic if he woke and Dean was nowhere to see.

"Will that sort the problem out then?"

"Hopefully, apart from that we just need to monitor his fever as it has begun to rise once more. I'll be back shortly to drain the wounds, and then we'll see about getting Sam moved to a ward," the doctor said before starting to withdraw once more, much to Dean's relief. However, his relief quickly turned to horror as the doctor was grabbed painfully and quickly subdued- his eyes widening as he stared at his father who was glaring at Sam…

SPN-SPN

John could practically smell his freedom…the exit was so near and so far no one had tried to stop him. However, as he rounded the corner into the ER waiting room he froze mid-step, his eyes darkening as he saw Bobby, Joshua, Jim and Caleb stood in the corner looking rather anxious. He knew that their presence meant that Sam and Dean were near by, and he smiled at that thought….it meant that he could take care of Sam sooner than he had anticipated. He tensed as Caleb suddenly headed in his direction, and he quickly dove through a nearby doorway- watching intently as the younger hunter walked past his hiding place and into the toilets. An idea formed in his head and he stealthily followed the younger hunter.

SPN

Caleb tilted his head slightly as he heard the door open behind him, but he didn't bother turning round…both for the sake of his dignity and for the fact he was in a hospital…and sure he'd faced some supernatural critters in hospitals but there was no reason to be suspicious.

"You're getting sloppy Caleb," the low voice made him spin around in alarm, and instantly made him curse his lack of paranoia as he found himself face to face with John Winchester. He had no time to react as John's fist rammed into his face, and he cried out as his nose gave way beneath the force of the blow. As he tried to shake off the brief dizziness the blow had caused he stumbled backwards, and the next blow sent his head crashing into the tiled wall and he spiralled swiftly down into oblivion as his body slumped limply to the floor.

"Sorry Caleb," John muttered as he relieved the unconscious hunter of his gun, quickly checking it was loaded before tucking it into his jeans and hastily slipping out of the toilets- knowing that he had to act quickly.

He easily managed to slip past the other three hunters who were distracted by a nurse, and he calmly walked past them into the ER. Almost at once he heard Dean's anxious voice and he tensed, feeling adrenaline flow through him as he realised that his goal was so close. Taking a deep breath to prepare himself he headed in the direction of Dean's voice, and just as he reached the cubicle hiding his son the curtains shifted and a doctor appeared. Without thinking he savagely grabbed the doctor, spinning him around and subduing him with a blow to the side of the head. Glancing up he met his eldest's horrified gaze before he glared at Sam who was lying unaware on the bed.

SPN

Glancing back at Dean he released the doctor who slumped unconscious to the ground, ignoring him he stepped towards the bed and was startled by the low growl that Dean released as he moved to stand between him and Sam.

"Stay away from him," Dean's voice was feral and his eyes gleamed dangerously as he stood protectively in front of his sibling.

"Step aside Dean, let me end this before anyone else gets hurt," John said as he drew forth his stolen gun and tried to move to aim at Sam, but Dean had other ideas and quickly placed himself in front of the gun.

"I won't let you hurt him again," he said fiercely as he stared down the barrel of the gun, without a trace of fear for his own safely- his mind focused only on his promise to prevent anything else happening to Sam.

"Dean, please," John said, slightly surprised by his son's dogged defiance. "Don't you want your mother to be at peace…"

"Don't you dare," Dean snarled furiously. "You may be ill but that does not mean that you can use our mother as a reason for your insanity."

"Your brother is a demon! A monster! Why can't you understand that?" John demanded.

"Sam is my brother, my baby brother that you have tried time and again to take from me. You want to know why I can't understand that he is a monster? - Because he isn't, he's a pain-in-the-ass geek that has caused me more than enough worry, and he is my life, not hunting, not mom and most certainly not you," Dean spat the last word, and John lost it…the echoing retort of the gun followed by terrified screams and a harsh grunt of pain as Dean collapsed against his brother's bed clutching his shoulder.

"Son of a bitch," Dean growled, however, John ignored him as he strode forwards and tossed Dean aside…flinching as his eldest cried out as he landed in his injured shoulder.

Dean felt a wave of terror rise in him as his father moved towards his brother, and he struggled to rise…however, a wave of dizziness swept over him with the movement and he collapsed to the floor…his vision and mind blurring into a grey haze.

As John halted right at the end of the bed, he was greeted by a pair of mossy green eyes that were staring at him in confused horror- the fever evident in their glazed appearance.

"You shot De..an," Sam stated accusingly as he weakly pushed himself upright, ignoring the fog of fever in his mind as he kept his gaze on his father. "You hurt your son…you always promised Dean that he would come first over any hunt."

"Shut up," John growled furiously as he raised the gun once more.

"No more questions?" Sam asked his voice wavering from the fever and his father scowled as he realised that the teenager was not afraid this time, his glazed eyes defiant as they stared up at him.

"You're not going to talk, and the longer you live the more damage you can wreak," John replied, unsure of why he was talking to the thing. As that thought came he pulled the trigger…

….However, his aim was off and Sam cried out in pain as blood welled up on his side, his face paling further as he forced himself to stay upright.

"Coward," he spat, the effects of the fever receding slightly as he strove to do what he had not done before…take a stand against his father with courage drawn from Dean and Dean's need.

"Sir put down the gun!" A loud voice called, and Sam felt like rolling his eyes at the slow arrival of the hospital security.

"If it's the last thing I do, then I'm going to send you back to hell," he snarled as he took aim once more, knowing that this was his last chance to avenge his beloved Mary. Closing his eyes…he pulled the trigger once more.

Instantly Sam's eyes dilated as he consciously reached out for the power he had used in the church, the gold flecks in his eyes glowed as the bullet came to a halt inches from his chest. Almost at once John realised what had happened and his eyes flew open, and he snarled as he saw the floating bullet. Without a seconds thought he emptied the rest of the gun…firing desperately at Sam.

"No!" Sam yelled as his father's precarious aim sent bullets not only towards himself but also Dean, his eyes flashed again and the bullets stopped at the last minute. However, simultaneously with his shout a second gun had gone off…and as Sam watched in horror his father slowly collapsed to the ground, his face a mask of hate as blood blossomed on his shirt. "Dad," he cried as the entire ER began to shake violently as his emotions swept over him in a devastating wave.

SPN

Dean groaned as he came to, the pain in his shoulder doubling in intensity as awareness flooded back…and it wasn't helped by the fact that everything around him appeared to be shaking…

"Sammy," he cried out as he forced himself to his knees with a muted gasp of pain, his head shooting up. At once his world spun to a sudden halt and he felt everything shatter, as he gazed up at his sibling who was gazing in frozen horror at something beyond Dean…his expressive green eyes filled with anguish and horror. Biting back his dread he forced himself to turn and see what his brother was staring at…and at once he wished he hadn't as he found himself staring into his father's lifeless eyes that seemed to gleam with hatred even with the absence of life.

"Dad," he murmured, as his gaze drifted to the security guards that were cautiously approaching his father's still form. Shaking off his paralysis and ignoring the pounding in his shoulder he forced himself to his feet…Sammy needed him…with that thought he lurched clumsily towards the bed and his brother who was still staring at their father's body.

"Sammy?" He asked hoarsely, but there was no reaction from his brother…not even a blink. Cautiously Dean reached out to shake his brother, however, he halted as he saw the fresh blood on his brother's side and his gaze darkened…and his concern rose further as blood began to drip slowly from his sibling's nose as the shaking slowly began to dwindle. "Sammy?" He repeated urgently, this time actually grasping his brother's arm.

"I killed him," Sam whispered blankly before he collapsed against Dean, who bit back a cry of pain as he braced his brother.

"I need some help here," he yelled frantically, as he gaze returned briefly to his father…

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	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or its characters.

A/N: Repost from my other account – please note this is unedited from the original version.

SPN-SPN

12 Hours Later:

Dean grimaced as he shifted uncomfortably in the hospital chair, scowling as his shoulder throbbed painfully at the movement. Fortunately for him the bullet had managed to avoid causing any major damage, and he had signed out AMA as soon as the wound was closed and cleaned; not that he had left the hospital. With that thought his gaze returned to the two hospital beds that he was sat in between; one holding a snoozing Caleb who had been found and admitted with a mild concussion and major guilt complex. However, it was the occupant of the other bed that held Dean's focus.

Sam looked dwarfed in the hospital bed, his pale skin causing him to blend into the sheets and standing out starkly against his dark, unruly hair. Ivs ran into his arm feeding him saline and blood to replenish that lost by the gunshot wound, a wound that had also broken several ribs and had nearly led to his lung being punctured. However, the physical wounds…although Dean hated to see his little brother hurt, could be dealt with. Not so easy to deal with was the blank look in Sam's mossy eyes as he lay staring up at the ceiling.

Ever since he'd woken after collapsing into Dean's arms he had just lain there, silent and staring with no expression whatsoever in his usually soulful eyes. Nothing Dean had tried so far had reached through the barriers that Sam had erected, and Dean's heart was breaking to see Sam in such a state…his brother's final heartbroken words kept echoing in his mind, and he hated the fact that Sam was blaming himself for their father's death. The only problem he had been able to resolve was diverting attention away from Sam's unprecedented show of telekinesis- from the floating bullets that the security guards swore blind had existed to the mini-earthquake that had roused him- a few subtle hints about a lawsuit with regard to how his father had escaped from supposedly closed ward and quickly guaranteed Sam's privacy in that regard.

"Come on Little Brother," he murmured leaning towards his brother, ignoring the pain in his should as he grasped Sam's hand mindful of the Ivs. He sighed when Sam once again failed to react, wondering what was going on in his brother's mind and knowing that it couldn't be anything good after what the younger boy had witnessed and experienced. However, Dean was damned if the doctors were going to carry out their threat of admitting Sam for psychiatric care if he didn't snap out of the cationic state that was trapped in.

"You know I wish you'd been this calm when you were little," he joked although there was no humour in his voice or eyes. "You were such a pain in the ass, especially when you learnt how to walk and climb- nothing was sacred. I had to hide everything that I wanted to Sammy-proof and then I'd forget where I'd put it." Still there was no sign of a response and with a sigh he reached up and began to run a soothing hand through his brother's hair. "But boy, those younger years were nothing compared to when you entered you teens. I remember after the your first major tantrum I tricked you into drinking holy water, I couldn't understand where Sammy had gone," Dean chuckled softly at that- remembering his brother's annoyance when he'd discovered what his brother had done. "You didn't talk to me for a week and then you poured itching powder into my pants."

SPN-SPN

Sam felt like he was drowning, a torrent of emotions and pain separating him from the world and trapping him in the darkness. Despite the pounding in his ears and the darkness obscuring his vision he could still hear and see Dean, could hear the fear and worry in his brother's voice and the concern in his hazel eyes that was poorly masked by humour. Part of him wanted to reach out to his brother, to be saved from the torrent that was trying to pull him under but another part of him just wanted to disappear…to escape the ever-present image of his father's lifeless body and the inescapable guilt that weighed him down like an anchor.

"Sammy you've got to come back little brother," Dean's voice was faint as though coming from a great distance. "I can't lose you after all of this," this time there were tears in his brother's voice and Sam felt something rippling inside of him at the sheer need in Dean's words. Shocked by Dean's sudden show of vulnerability he blinked…

SPN

Dean could feel his walls and his game face beginning to crack, he wanted and needed his brother back with him.

"Sammy you've got to come back little brother," he said desperately feeling tears starting to form. "I can't lose you after all of this." As he watched his brother, tears trickling slowly down his face he saw something shift in the blank eyes, and to his delight Sam blinked.

"Sammy?" He asked hopefully and slowly his brother turned his eyes towards him and he thought that his heart would explode with joy as some life returned to the beloved mossy eyes.

"De..an," Sam whispered faintly, his eyes locked on his brother's face and tracing the path of the tears that were still falling.

"Here," Dean said as he scooped the cup of ice chips the nurse had brought in a short while ago and carefully spoonfed some to his brother, obtusely rubbing away the tears as his brother warily sucked the ice. Discarding the cup he returned to running a gentle hand through his brother's hair, whilst he gazed searchingly at his sibling's face.

"D..Dad's dead isn't he?" Sam asked faintly and silently Dean nodded, watching as tears welled up in the teenager's eye.

"It's not your fault," He said as he saw guilt filling his brother's face. " He was going to kill you and maybe even me, and the security guard had to fire.." He fell silent as Sam slowly shook his head.

"I did it."

"Sam…"

"I had the bullets…I l-lost control…and then h-he fell," Sam stammered as his own tears began to fall in earnest, and Dean could feel tremors working their way through his brother's body.

"No, no Sammy," Dean said sternly, reaching out to stop his brother as he unconsciously began to hit himself with his uninjured hand. "Sammy listen to me, they recovered all the bullets dad fired and none of them was anywhere near him. He was killed by a guard, Sammy, not you."

"I killed him," Sam repeated hollowly, and Dean realised that his words had not gotten through to his traumatised brother and as Sam's tremors increased he knew he had to do something before his brother really lost it.

Mindful of the IV lines and his shoulder he eased himself onto the bed, and gently slipped under his brother, pulling Sam into his chest being careful of his injuries as he tightened his hold.

"I killed him," Sam repeated.

"Shush," Dean said as he began to slowly rock his brother. "You're not responsible for his death, it shouldn't have happened but it wasn't your fault. All you did was protect yourself and me, do you here me?"

"Protect?" Sam questioned in a small voice, and Dean drew him closer as he heard the childlike tones in his brother's uncertain question.

"Yeah Sammy, you protected both of us. If you hadn't caught those bullets we'd probably both be dead," he replied and Sam shuddered at the thought of Dean being dead, recalling his terror as he'd realised Dean was in danger and then the surge of power that he'd summoned and then lost control of.

"I couldn't hold it," he admitted guiltily.

"Huh?" Dean scrunched up his nose as he peered down into his brother's pale face.

"I summoned it this time…but I s-saw him about to sh-shoot and I thought you were going to be hurt…t-then he f-f-ell and I lost c-c-control…my f-fault," Sam's speech became increasingly fragmented as sobs began to worm their way through his body, and Dean held him tight as his brother shuddered and shook with each sob.

He was unbelievably thankful that Sam was interacting with him, but he wished that he could remove the false guilt that his brother seemed so determined to label himself with. However, as his brother gave into his grief he hoped that the release would help Sam…but deep down he knew that it would not be that simple, it never was for the Winchesters.

"I'm not going to let you go," he whispered softly, not knowing if his brother heard but needing to reassure both himself and Sam. He would do whatever it took to bring his brother back to him, and to help him past this latest trauma- he only hoped that he was enough to bring his sibling back from the brink.

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	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or its characters.

A/N: Repost from my other account – please note this is unedited from the original version.

SPN-SPN

2 Weeks Later:

Dean watched as his brother walked slowly towards their father's casket, noting how Sam favoured his still healing side and also the violent trembling in his sibling's hands as he hesitantly laid the flowers on the casket. He wanted to go to Sam but he restrained himself knowing that the kid needed to do this on his own, to obtain at least some form of closure on the hell that had been his life for the last four and a bit years. For Dean it had not be that much of a transition- sure he and Sam were technically orphans now, but then again their father hadn't been around for the last few years and at least Sam was safe now and to Dean that was all that mattered.

He glanced up at Pastor Jim as Sam cautiously began to make his way back to Dean, the kindly hunter had insisted on doing the service even if it was outside do to the church still being in the early stages of repair. Dean was grateful and he knew that Sam was as well even if he hadn't said it aloud. In fact Sam hadn't spoken much in the last couple of weeks- retreating into a shell and only emerging on occasion, however, he would always respond to Dean even if his responses were dull and monosyllabic and for that Dean was grateful because it halted all talk of admitting his brother for therapy. Dean snorted quietly at that thought- no matter how trained any therapist was not one of them would be equipped to deal with the problems surrounding Sam.

Dean smiled softly as Sam reached him and carefully lowered himself on to the bench, choosing not to mention the tears crawling down his brother's still-too-pale face. He wasn't surprised when Sam reached out and grasped his hand, and he gently squeezed back to reassure his brother- taking comfort in having his brother beside him.

SPN

When the service had finished Sam rose and silently tugged on Dean's arm, effectively attracting his big brother's attention.

"I'm going to go inside, I c-can't watch," He said, the slight stutter alerting Dean to how he was feeling and he nodded his eyes warm as he gazed at Sam.

"I'll be in soon," he said and Sam nodded shakily before turning and starting his slow walk to the rectory, Dean watched until he was sure his brother had safely gone inside before turning back to watch as the casket was slowly lowered into the ground- slightly perturbed by his lack of emotion at the sight.

"Are you okay Dean?" He looked up as Bobby came to sit beside him, the usually scruffy hunter had made a real effort today but to Dean it was strange- like Jim and Joshua and in more recent times Caleb- Bobby had often been a source of comfort and refuge for the Winchester boys and today seeing the hunters out of their element unsettled Dean.

"I guess," he replied finally and Bobby snorted causing him to look up and meet the older hunter's knowing gaze.

"Y'know its fine to grieve," at Bobby's words it was Dean's turn to snort.

"I'm not grieving Bobby and that's the problem, I don't feel anything about his death or about him except for relief. All I can think is thank god that Sammy's safe now," he explained in a rush, his hazel eyes pained and filled with guilt.

"Get that look out your eyes you idjit, you've got nowt to be guilty about- unless it's a crime to take care of ya brother," Bobby said at once, as he read the guilt in Dean's eyes and he was pleased when Dean gave him a wan version of his usual cocky grin.

"I'm just glad that I've still got a brother to look after," he said and Bobby nodded as he heard the love in Dean's voice as he spoke about Sam, feeling the same awe that Jim had that the bond had remained intact. "I'm going to go and check on him," Dean added as he got to his feet. "Thanks Bobby."

"You're welcome," the older hunter replied but Dean was already out of earshot, his pace quick as headed for his brother.

SPN-SPN

Sam winced as he settled himself onto the floor in the centre of Jim's living room, relieved to be away from the funeral. He had not come to terms with the fact that his dad was dead- but the feelings he harboured were more for Dean than himself, he had robbed his brother of the man that he had idolised and followed faithfully for eighteen years. He had robbed Dean of his father- of the last living remnant of the mother that only Dean could now remember. The rational part of his mind knew that it wasn't really like that, that it wasn't his fault their dad was dead and that Dean certainly did not view him in that way- but the rational part of his mind was not really in control at the moment.

Rubbing ruefully at his side he glanced briefly at his damaged hand and scowled at it, hating not the disfigurement so much but the fact that he was now a disabled hunter- before he had been able to do nearly as much as a normal person with his damaged hand, but now he couldn't even do that. It was the realisation that there was nothing that could be done for his hand that had spurred him to try and summon his telekinesis as he had in the hospital…that, and the fact that Dean was a hunter born and bred and he knew that his brother wouldn't leave without him and therefore he had to adapt in order to cover his brother's back on the hunt.

He frowned as he tried to recall exactly how he'd summoned his power in the hospital, he'd been trying for the last couple of days with no success…but now he was feeling a new sense of urgency.

"Dean," he whispered as he recalled the white hot terror that gone through him as he realised that his brother was hurt and was going to be hurt even worse if not killed, and suddenly he felt power rush through him and he knew he'd found the key. However, he couldn't mute his gasp of surprise as everything except the furniture took the air around him- books, ornaments, charms and coffee mugs all defying gravity.

"Well that's a sight you don't see every day," a voice commented dryly and he looked up in sudden fear, relaxing slightly as he found Dean stood in the doorway leaning on the frame as he watched the floating objects with mild interest.

"Sorry," Sam muttered suddenly wondering if Dean would be mad at him for actually trying to harness his power, and as though sensing his distress everything wavered in mid-air.

"What for?" Dean asked.

"You mean you're not mad at me for using it?" Sam asked uncertainly, his mossy, gold-flecked eyes anxious as he watched his brother.

"Nope," Dean stated calmly. "We said you'd learn to control and it looks like you're doing that, so why would I be mad?"

"I just thought…"

"Stop trying to apologize for the wrong thing," Dean said sternly but softly and Sam smiled sheepishly as he looked away from Dean for a minute.

"The only rule is…" Dean started and Sam looked up with wide eyes. "No making big brother float around," he gave Sam a cocky smile and Sam blinked at him in shock before slowly returning the grin.

"You're so full of hot air I think you'll float fine without my help," he retorted and Dean scowled, wondering when his brother had got so quick with the retorts but the scowl quickly faded as he revelled in the fact that his sibling was joking.

"How about putting all your toys away for now Samantha?" He asked and Sam nodded, and Dean watched with awe as everything carefully settled back into place…everything except for one coffee mug that Dean failed to notice as it moved into position above Dean's head before tipping upside down and emptying its cold contents over his head.

Dean spluttered as the cold coffee trickled down onto his face, his eyes narrowing as he glared at his chortling sibling. For his part Sam tried to smother his laughs and paste a look of innocence on his face, but it felt nice to have a laugh with or in this case at his sibling- even in the light of recent events and his chuckles escaped.

"When you're better you are sooo dead Sammy," Dean growled as he irritably wiped his dripping hair out of his face, keeping his scowl firmly in place even as he felt a smile tugging at his lips.

"Boys what on earth…!" Jim exclaimed as he walked into the living room and looked in bemusement from the dripping Dean to the smiling Sam on the floor.

"Psychic wonder there just tossed a cup of coffee over my head," Dean growled in response and the pastor had to smirk at the ire in the older Winchesters voice.

"Shouldn't have called me Samantha then, Jerk."

"Bitch."

"BOYS!" Jim said lightly scolding, and this time both Winchester boys had to laugh.

SPN-SPN


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or its characters.

A/N: Repost from my other account – please note this is unedited from the original version.

SPN-SPN

Dean yawned widely as he gulped down a mouthful of coffee, keen to let the hot liquid stir him into some semblance of wakefulness. Despite the fun moment yesterday Sam had, had a bad night and both brothers had been awake more than asleep- one as a result of nightmares and the other due to the trembling that accompanied the nightmares. But now Sam seemed to have fallen into a dreamless sleep and Dean hoped he'd stay that way for a while- Sam needed to rest after the events of the last month or so.

However, his thoughts were rudely interrupted by a pained yell from the hallway and at once he was on his feet and moving. As he burst into the hall he found his brother sprawled awkwardly on the floor.

"Are you alright Sammy?" He asked in alarm.

"I'm fine," Sam spat as he glanced up at his brother, tears of pain and anger in his eyes as he forced back a grimace. Sighing Dean reached out to lend him a hand, but Sam batted the hand away with a furious look. "I've got it," he growled as he forced himself to his feet.

"Sammy…"

"Leave it Dean!" Sam snapped and without another word he pushed past his shocked brother and disappeared out of the front door.

"What the hell?" Dean asked aloud although there was no one around to answer, shaking his head he went back to his coffee deciding that it was best to let Sam get over his little snit before going after him.

SPN

Sam was relieved when his big brother didn't follow him out of the door, but he felt guilty about how he'd spoken to Dean- after all his brother had done and he'd only being trying to help.

"Damn it," he growled as he made his way around the Impala before slumping down against the passenger door, feeling his body protesting and moaning about the pain it'd just endured. Irritably he swiped at his damp eyes, furious at his weakness and at falling down the stairs…it wasn't the pain that bothered him, after all he'd been through worse…it was that as he'd started to fall he'd flailed with his injured hand forgetting that he wouldn't be able to grip anything and hence his ungrateful landing in the hallway. _I'm a Liability_. He thought bitterly- yesterday he'd felt like maybe he'd be able with time to join his brother in hunting, hell that was all that he wanted to get back into the life that was as familiar to him as Dean's mannerisms- now it felt like he was sinking back into the depression that had struck straight after their dad's death.

How could he expect to go back into hunting when he couldn't take of himself, let alone guard Dean's back. He couldn't very well expect Dean to watch out for him all the time, and he didn't want him too…for God's sake he was eighteen and had been hunting on his own for four years and now he felt a bloody toddler who needed his hand held just to cross the road. He couldn't help but wonder whether it would have been better if he had died…would life have been better for Dean if he'd let John finish him in the hospital, the church or even the first time his dad had come after him. _Would the World be a better place without me?_ He wondered, sure his visions had helped people but it wasn't a sure fire method- he flinched slightly as he remembered Dean showing him the newspaper article about the nursery fire he'd foreseen and he still felt the pain of failing to save the woman. He certainly hadn't helped her.

Despairing he buried his head in his knees, ignoring the pain in his side as he battled his emotions as he felt his doubts shredding his already damaged heart. Hot tears trickled down his cheeks as he unconsciously began to rock himself, desperately trying to batten down his emotions through fear of losing control- but his emotions were on the rampage.

SPN

Dean drained the rest of his coffee and paced anxiously around the kitchen- he wanted to go and find his brother and find out what was bothering him, but he also knew that Sam wanted…needed some more independence to prove to himself that he wasn't a waste of space. However, a sudden wave of concern made Dean change his mind…his Sammy sense was going off, and teenage attitude be damned he needed to make sure the long-legged brat was alright. With that thought foremost in his mind he dashed for the door, praying that his sibling hadn't got to far this time- he certainly didn't want a repeat of his brother's last disappearance

However, he was robbed of speech by the sight that met him as he exited the rectory. The Impala…His beloved car…his baby…was floating about six foot above the ground, at once his eyes went wide in alarm but the alarm mutated into full blown fear as he spotted the hunched up figure sat beneath the floating car- apparently oblivious to the floating vehicle. Shaking off his paralysis he dashed to his brother's side, ducking beneath his car with bated breath- hoping that it wouldn't suddenly drop on their heads.

"Sammy?" He asked as he dropped to his knees beside his brother, he warily reached out and laid a hand on Sam's shoulder as said boy continued to rock backwards and forwards.

"Go away," Sam whispered after a long moment.

"Not going to happen little brother," Dean said sternly- slightly taken back by the pain and anguish in his brother's voice and detecting the sound of tears.

"Please…just leave me alone," Sam begged still not looking up, and his rocking increased as his voice broke. Cautiously Dean shifted so that he was sat pressed up against his sibling, and gently he put his arms around the younger boy and drew him into his side.

"You going to tell me what's wrong?"

"I'm fine," Sam said unconvincingly, still refusing to look up at his brother- as his mind screamed that he was being a failure again. With that thought he began to struggle against his brother's hold on him, however, Dean was unrelenting as he rode out Sam's struggles…and after a few minutes his struggles subsided.

"Come on Sammy, I can't help if you don't talk to me," Dean said calmly, acting as though nothing had happened although his gaze flicked nervously to his still floating car before turning back to his brother.

"You can't help," Sam mumbled, and Dean's hand tightened on his shoulder. "No one can," he added as he finally looked up at his brother with red-rimmed eyes.

"Talk to me Sammy," Dean urged as he looked into his brother's troubled moss-green eyes.

"I…" Sam struggled to find the words to express what the problem was, what he was feeling and after a moment he held up his injured hand. "I'm a l-l-liability n-now, how can I hunt with you? I can't e-even stop myself falling down the s-stairs. It would have been b-better if I had d-d-died, at least you wouldn't be s-stuck with a c-cripple and you c-could already b-be back in h-hunting rather than w-waiting for me to get b-better."

"Look at me," Dean, ordered softly when his brother had finished speaking, and reluctantly Sam obeyed- gazing into Dean's steady hazel eyes. "I haven't done anything that I haven't wanted to, I'm not going anywhere until you're ready and I don't want to. And you're not a cripple! Or a liability! Sure your hand can do much, but that does not define what you can do- your psychic boy, geek boy and my little brother and I'd have you guarding my back any day. And I never want to hear you say that it would've been better if you'd died, because it wouldn't- it would not have changed things between me and dad and I would have been on my own."

"But w-what help will I be, you'll practically b-be on y-your own a-anyway," Sam could read the sincerity and love in Dean's eyes, but he couldn't let Dean be dragged down by him or even killed because of his disability and he needed his brother to understand this.

"You can still do plenty, and when you've got this little gift of yours down to an art you'll be able to do as much if not more than me. And besides so far your gift has been at its strongest whenever I'm in danger, so I feel pretty safe having you with me," Dean replied firmly, and Sam began to believe the words that his brother was saying…maybe he could help.

"What a-about other h-h-hunters, if they find o-out about my g-gift anything c-could h-happen," Sam whispered, voicing another worry that had been dogging him for days his eyes wide with worry.

"Then we'll deal," Dean said confidently. "Now how about you letting my baby down?" He asked carefully, jerking his head towards the floating Impala and Sam blushed as he took in what he had unconsciously done.

"Sorry," he whispered and Dean watched with relief as his baby was safely and gently deposited onto the ground behind them.

"Don't worry about it," Dean reassured him warmly. "How about we get you back inside, because I don't know about you but my rear end is going numb."

"'Kay," Sam whispered and this time he allowed his brother to help him get back to his feet. "Thanks Dean," he added as they began to head inside.

"No worries little brother," Dean replied softly, as he slung his arm back around Sam's shoulders. "No worries."

SPN-SPN


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or its characters.

A/N: Repost from my other account – please note this is unedited from the original version.

SPN-SPN

Three days later:

Dean grumbled to himself as he slowly roused himself feeling the warmth of sunlight on his face, rubbing a hand over his eyes he rolled over to check on his brother…only to find that the other bed was empty and neatly made.

"Sam?" He called as he came instantly alert, there was no response and he had to forcefully swallow the panic that threatened to drown him- but he could not forget the near miss of three days ago. Thought of that day prompted him to role out of bed and to hastily yank on the previous days' clothes, forgoing shoes he shot out of the bedroom and down the stairs- taking the steps two at a time in his haste.

"Morning Dean," his urgent movement was halted at the bottom of the stairs, his eyes anxious as he looked at Pastor Jim who was stood in the kitchen doorway nursing a cup of coffee.

"Have you seen Sammy?" Dean demanded without preamble.

"He's gone into town with Caleb, something about restocking your boot," Jim replied looking slightly puzzled, Dean relaxed as he heard that his sibling wasn't alone and then he too frowned with puzzlement.

"Restocking the boot?" He asked.

"I think he's ready to move on," Jim said with a soft smile. "He's been busy doing all your laundry since the incident the other day, and I caught him busy assessing what hunting stuff you had yesterday."

"You honestly think he's ready?" Dean asked seriously- the thought that his brother was tackling his concerns and disability heads on thrilled him, but he couldn't quell his own concern that they were rushing back too soon- and that Sam was trying to rush back for Dean's sake rather than his own sake..

"He wouldn't be preparing if he wasn't, he's a Winchester through and through so if he didn't want to go then nothing could make him do so. What about you, are you ready to move on?" Jim asked and Dean knew that he was referring to more than just leaving the rectory, which had, become a home of sorts recently, and he nodded with a small grin.

"I'm more than ready, no offence Jim," he added hastily not wanting to sound ungrateful because he owed the priest a debt of gratitude beyond that which could be expressed.

"You and Sam are always welcome here or at Bobby's, now come and get some coffee because knowing Caleb they won't be back for a while and you look half-asleep," Jim said, and Dean followed obediently even as his mind raced over the possibility of getting back on the road with his brother a small smile creeping across his face.

SPN

Sam smiled politely at the shop assistant as she eyed his purchases curiously- and choosing to ignore the way her eyes darted to his clearly disfigured hand, resigning himself to it becoming a frequent occurrence and forcing himself not to care.

"Is that all?" She asked and he nodded silently and handed over the money, thereby avoiding unnecessary conversation before with a final smile he headed for the door where Caleb was waiting patiently for him.

"You done kiddo?" Caleb asked easily as the teenager reached him, quietly reaching out to take some of the bags which Sam relinquished with a small scowl and the older hunter waited with bated breath to see if Sam would withdraw into himself.

"I want to get some more books but that's about it," Sam replied choosing to accept Caleb's help without complaint, and he was amused to see the older hunter visibly relax.

"Well before you drag me into another tomb of dust and nerdiness what d'you say we grab some food?" Caleb asked hopefully, making wide puppy dog eyes at the younger hunter.

"Sure," Sam replied easily, smirking as the older hunter's stomach rumbled loudly drawing irritated and disgusted looks from passerbys.

"You're as bad as Dean," he added as he led the way away from the shop, dodging Caleb's half-hearted punch with a low chuckle

SPN

Caleb watched as Sam slowly began to eat his breakfast, watching as the teenager carefully multi-tasked with his one good hand and feeling a surge of relief that John wouldn't have chance to do more damage.

"Stop staring," Sam said suddenly making him jump, and he had the grace to blush violently as he realised the teenager was staring at him- mossy eyes glinting with amusement and mild annoyance.

"Sorry," he muttered as he busied himself with his own food, cursing as he slopped his coffee in his haste to distract himself.

"Here," Caleb deftly caught the napkin that Sam has tossed and froze as he realised that Sam had used the damaged limb to accomplish the task, at once a broad grin spread across his face as he mopped up the mess. It was a small step forward, but it was a definite step forward- and one that had seemed impossible a few days ago. "You're staring again," Sam pointed out dryly, grinning at the older man to take the sting out of his words and Caleb grimaced.

"Sorry," Caleb repeated and Sam laughed, waving his arm to indicate that it didn't matter before turning his attention back to the task of eating carefully ignore the stares from the other customers who had spotted his arm. "So have you spoken to Dean about moving on?"

"Not yet," Sam admitted somewhat sheepishly as he caught the faint frown on Caleb's face. "I was afraid that he'd insist on waiting, I wanted to prove that I was ready and that he wasn't pushing me into anything," he added as way of explanation.

"I can understand that," Caleb said after a moment, "are you sure that you're ready?" He asked cautiously, eager not to drive the boy away or into silence.

"I think so," Sam replied seriously and Caleb glanced up, surprised that he hadn't been brushed off with an irate _yes_ or the standard Winchester _I'm fine_. "I need to know exactly what I am capable of, and I can't really do that unless we're hunting. Besides this place has got a few too many bad memories now."

"Got to agree with you there kiddo," Caleb agreed solemnly as he mentally summed up all the events of the last few weeks and grimacing- they really had sucked.

"Besides Dean's getting restless whether he thinks he's hiding it or not," Sam added with a wide grin, his mossy eyes sparkling as he moved away from the gloomy path their conversation had gone down. Caleb had to smirk at that, and by mutual consent they fell silent and focused on their food.

SPN-SPN

Dean hummed the lyrics of Ac/Dcs back in black to himself as he cheerfully slung water over his baby. After he had woken up properly and it had registered that they were really getting back on the road he had decided that the Impala needed a clean before they set off- there was no she was getting back on the road in her current state and he wanted Sam to go in style. He grinned as the car began to gleam beneath his devoted efforts, and his gaze flicked briefly to the passenger seat and his grin widened- he couldn't wait for things to return to how they had been with him driving and Sammy in the shotgun position.

"You look like a God damn idjit standing their grinning like that," a wry voice commented and he looked up to find Bobby watching him work.

"Morning Bobby," Dean said, choosing to ignore the older hunters sarcastic comment as he stepped back to admire his car.

"Seriously you do realise that it's just a car don't ya?" Bobby asked as he moved towards Dean, but there was a humorous glint in his eyes as he too flicked his gaze across the car- his mind drifting back to when John Winchester had first driven it into his scrap yard with a five-year old Dean and a one-year old Sammy in the back seat hell bent on finding what had taken the woman of their lives.

"She's more than a car," Dean said seriously as he tore his gaze away from the car and saw the distant look on the older man's face. "She's home, well she is when Sam's here," he added, as he recalled the lonely drives in the car over the last four years.

"She's a good car," Bobby agreed, feeling a brief wave of sadness that the only thing the two Winchester boys had to call home was hunk of metal but knowing that they wouldn't have it any other way as long as they were together. "I wanted to give you these," he said abruptly as he recalled why he'd come to see Dean, and he held out a small pouch to the younger man who took it curiously.

"What are they?" Dean asked as he tipped the pouch and looked at the two carved, metallic discs that had fallen out.

"Charms against possession," Bobby shifted uncomfortably as Dean gazed at him with a question in his eyes. "Your brother's going to be a prime target to demons with his psychic abilities, and I figured it wouldn't be a good thing if they got chance to possess him."

"Thanks Bobby," Dean said seriously as he tucked them back into the pouch which he slipped into his pocket, wondering as he did so whether he was going to be able to keep his brother safe from all the potential dangers out their both human and supernatural alike.

"It's just a precaution Dean," Bobby said as he saw the sudden fear in the solemn hazel-green eyes, and Dean offered him a weak smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Unfortunately it's one that we're likely to need," he said bluntly, and Bobby nodded sadly- none of them had expected the reunion with the youngest Winchester to be so fraught with danger and problems but none of them would go back to the years of nameless fear and concern for the missing teenager. "Right I need to put this stuff away, I want to pack the boot before Sammy gets back," Dean said, suddenly switching into a cheerful mood his eyes glinting with excitement- the fear hadn't gone and was unlikely to do so for a long time but it was buried behind a mask that had been perfected since the death of Mary Winchester. Bobby forced a smile as he went to help Dean- praying that at least for a while the two boys would have a break from the troubles that seemed to plague their lives.

SPN-SPN

Sam shifted nervously as Caleb swung his SUV back into Jim's driveway, wondering how his big brother was going to react and bracing himself for a volatile explosion.

"Cool it dude, you're making me nervous," Caleb said as he caught the teenager's nervous movements out of the corner of his eye and Sam muttered an apology, breaking off as they came to a halt and his eyes fell on the Impala. The Black muscle car gleamed in the sunlight, the metal glinting dangerously as though daring the world to bring it on and the boot was sat wide open with his and Dean's duffels stacked inside. Silently Sam clambered out of the car as his gaze moved to his big brother who was stood leant against his baby, giving his brother an unreadable look. Holding his breath in anticipation Sam moved towards his brother, stopping a safe distance away.

"You know," Dean began conversationally as he moved away from the car, "it's usual to discuss travel plans with the driver."

"Sorry," Sam said hating the faint tremor in his voice as his eyes went to the floor. "I thought you'd say no," he added as way of explanation. Dean sighed as he saw how dejected Sam looked and quickly moved to his brother and gently touched his shoulder, causing the teenager to look up with a start.

"Why would I say no? If you're ready to go then that's good enough for me, alright?" He asked, as Sam gazed at him searchingly before a tentative smile spread across his face.

"You mean it?"

"Hell yeah," Dean said emphatically and Sam smiled broadly for the first time in ages, leaning in as Dean drew him into a half-hug clearly happy to see him so happy.

"Thank you," Sam whispered so that only Dean would hear as he became aware that Bobby, Josh and Jim had appeared on the doorstep, Dean silently squeezed his arm in recognition before breaking apart.

"Let me help Caleb get the shopping in the boot then I think we'll be good to go," he said aloud and Sam nodded.

SPN

Ten minutes later the Impala's boot was fully loaded and ready to go, and Dean felt himself coming alive in a way that he hadn't for years and a quick glance at Sam confirmed that his younger sibling was feeling the same.

"You stay in touch y'hear," Bobby ordered as he and the other came forward to say goodbye to the two younger hunters.

"Yes Sir," Dean said cockily although he allowed the seasoned hunter to draw him into a hug, watching as Sam too allowed Jim to give him a brief hug only a slight tenseness in his posture indicating the terror that he'd experienced when they'd first arrived at Blue earth.

"It's Thanksgiving in a couple of months and I expect you boys to come for a few days," Jim said sternly, although his expression was soft and Dean nodded as he was struck by a sudden lump in his throat- by blood he and Sam were orphans, but this bunch of rag-tag hunters were their family,

"Thanks for everything," he managed to say, as he began to shepherd his brother towards the Impala- desperate to escape the hug chick-flick moment he sensed was coming, such moments were fine with his brother but the thought of sharing one with the other hunters was too weird to contemplate.

He waited until Sam had climbed into the passenger seat before turning to look at the other hunters, his face saying more than any words could before he too climbed into the Impala.

"What d'you say we blow this Popsicle stand?" He asked as he glanced across at Sam who had settled comfortably into the shotgun position.

"Let's go," Sam replied with a broad grin, which Dean imitated.

"See you at Thanksgiving," he bellowed out of the window as he started the Impala, and began to reverse out of the drive- smiling as their rag-tag family waved at them before the disappeared out of sight as he pulled out onto the road.

"Stick on some music Sammy," he ordered as he put his foot down, and the Impala sprang forward with a roar…

SPN

As the Impala with the comforting lyrics of AC/DC filling its interior roared passed the sign marking the edge of Blue Earth Dean turned to glance at his sibling who had already dozed off.

"Welcome home Sammy," he said softly, before turning his attention back to the road and the future that it led to.

-THE END-


End file.
